PROFILE
PAUL RESEIGH E X E C U T I V E C H E F AT T H E G E O R G E H O T E L O F S TA M F O R D Where are you originally from? I was born in Cambridge and when I was very young my parents moved to live in West London. That’s where I was brought up and met my wife. We married in 1996 and have 2 children, a boy and a girl. Where did you do your training and what qualifications did you gain? I did my training at Westminster Kingsway College, in Battersea, South London and gained City & Guilds 706 1, 2 & 3. Tell me a little bit about your career before you came to The George. Once I had qualified as a Chef I took jobs locally to home, in small hotels around the Hounslow area. I also did a stint at St Anne’s Manor in Berkshire. I came to The George on 2nd November 1998, when I was 24 years old. How did you hear about the job vacancy at The George Hotel? Back in 1998, I was thinking about changing jobs, moving out of the London rat race and looking for somewhere that could offer us a better quality of life. I was reading the National Caterer magazine and came across an advert for a Senior Sous Chef position at The George. My wife’s parents are from Nottingham and they knew it had a good reputation. Without me even knowing about it, my wife sent off my CV for the job! A few days later I had a phone call and I jumped at the opportunity. We have now lived in Stamford for nearly 20 years. How have you progressed through the ranks at the Hotel? In 1998 I took up the role of Senior Sous Chef and in 2000 was promoted to Head Chef. I love the job here and I held the role of Head Chef for over a decade. Quite recently I was promoted to Executive Chef. Who are your influences when it comes to Chefs? I don’t really have one particular Chef that influences what I do. However, I make sure that I keep up to date with how the food world is changing. I eat out at restaurants belonging to top Chefs, as often as work permits. I believe you have several Dining Rooms at The George? We have the two main Restaurants; The Garden Room and The Oak Panelled Restaurant. In addition to this we also have three Private Dining Rooms; The London Room, The Lambert Room and The King Charles Room. We also cater for the Conference Suites and the Wedding Marquee, which goes up and down all summer. We are generally kept quite busy! The Menus are changed seasonally, and the team of
23 Chefs works on a shift system, as we are open 7 days a week. Have you ever cooked for anyone famous? Without sounding too smug we regularly have quite famous people dining in The George, but some notable people include Joan Rivers, Dame Judy Dench who was filming Pride & Prejudice at Burghley House, and Prince Charles whose hand I shook when he came to present Stamford Endowed School’s Duke of Edinburgh awards and he happened to pop into the hotel for a while. But, I have to say the person who would stand out the most for me, is Donald Sutherland. If you could choose your favourite dish what would it be? Ooh that’s a tricky one! ….. It would have to be a toss up between a good traditional Roast Rib of Beef or Steak and Kidney Pudding. In the Hotel, we use my Mum’s recipe, which is just delicious. Give me an interesting fact about the kitchens at The George. We use local suppliers such as our Butcher, R.W Camplejohn & Son from Leicester, and the wonderful Stamford based, Askers Bakery who supply all of our bread, whilst our Fishmonger, Wicker Fisheries Ltd, comes daily from London. It always amazes me the number of Oysters we sell. If you work it out on an annual basis it is around 13,000! What are your interests outside of work, if you have time for any? I’ve always enjoyed Judo, although these days I don’t take part in it any more. However, my son who is 14 years old, has done incredibly well at it. He fights in the U18 cadets, under 42kg category and is No. 2 in the UK, so I am very supportive of him. Otherwise, I play the guitar badly and just enjoy my time off. • The George Hotel is open 7 days a week. The Garden Room is open 7-10.30am for breakfast & then from 12noon – 11pm The Oak Panelled Restaurant is open 12noon2.30pm for lunch & 7-10.30pm for dinner Afternoon Tea is served 3.30-5.30pm Contact: 01780 750750 www.georgehotelofstamford.com STAMFORD LIVING APRIL 2016
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