nice patio that seats about 16 people. The kitchen is open plan, so the customers can see in – and I can see out! How do you create your menu? We’re guessing you must consider the students quite a bit when deciding what dishes to include? My cooking style is modern British, but with world cuisine influences. Our menu is very seasonal, and we do it a month at a time, picking what produce is at its best. We’re lucky to have wonderful produce and suppliers around here, and I like to let the ingredients speak for themselves. My job is to challenge the learners and get them out of their comfort zones, but in a safe environment where they can grow in confidence and expand their experiences. My sous chef and I give them daily jobs, from prep like chopping and peeling to more complex tasks. And we’ve started a light bites menu, which is owned by our learners; they prepare, cook and serve everything on it from scratch. They are very much part of the team. Sounds good! So tell us three things that would tempt us on the menu today. For starters, we have Wye Valley asparagus in purple, green and white, with crispy hen’s egg, truffled mayonnaise and toasted hazelnuts. The asparagus is pretty much picked that day, and the flavours are so pronounced, it’s amazing. For your main course, you could have spring lamb's breast, which is slow-cooked overnight, shredded and pressed into cubes with Panko Japanese honey-coated breadcrumbs, and served with Pommes Anna and mint oil infused spring veg and a lamb jus. And for pudding, there’s rice pudding crème brûlée served with toasted rice pudding ice cream, compressed mango and coconut crisps. I’m a pastry chef at heart, so pudding is my favourite thing. That all sounds lush! Do you do lots of not-strictly-necessary ‘tasting’ when you’re cooking delicious things, or accidentally cook a bit too much and have to eat the leftovers? No! I don’t get hungry when I’m cooking, and I rarely stop for lunch. In fact, I have to make myself eat breakfast, as otherwise I’ll go until 6 or 7pm without eating anything at all. My wife tells me off.
crumbsmag.com
We’re guessing there are plenty of challenges you guys have to deal with that you don’t get in other kitchens…? Well, on the one hand we have learners who use wheelchairs and have little dexterity or strength, but have no learning difficulties, and on the other there are those who are completely ambulant but can be closed off. Some may take a long time to process things, so you might ask a question and have to wait patiently for an answer. All of them, though, blow me away with their attitudes and what they achieve. I was really diving in the deep end when I took this job. I had no experience of disability, but the support we get in this place is amazing – and on a daily basis. Everyone at National Star, right up to the CEO, is dedicated to enabling the learners to realise their aspirations. This year it celebrates its 50th anniversary, and it really is such a great place. You must see some pretty major changes in your learners as they spend time with you, surely? The learners all have such positive attitudes, and they put their all into the job. Every day here I get the opportunity to feel really proud of them. Having said that, they are mostly teenagers, and – like all teenagers – if they don’t want to do something, they won’t . . . There is one learner who is virtually a different person from who she was on her first day; back then she was almost completely non-communicative – no words, no eye contact, no confidence, and she would be physically shaking. Now, though, she’s a really hard worker; she looks us in the face, and we have full conversations. You can see when she’s enjoying herself. The progress she’s made almost brings me to tears. It’s beautiful to see her smile. National Star is about raising aspirations and enabling students to achieve their potential and though, obviously, there are other people teaching here too, I like to think that I’ve helped with that. Do you need any special equipment? We have great things that make life easier, like chopping boards that stick to the work surfaces so they can’t slip, and knives that attach to the boards. We have spikes to put veg on to make chopping easier, the gangways are wider than usual for
15
wheelchair access, and some work surfaces can be raised and lowered for learners to get their wheelchairs underneath. It’s cool. Is the kitchen high pressure, or do you manage to have fun? I think you have to love being a chef to want to do it, and if you’re not having fun you’re probably not loving it. It can be high pressure, but my sous chef and I keep that between us – the students are here to learn, not to be shouted at. One learner managed to trick me into going in the cleaning cupboard, and then I heard the door slam behind me and he locked me in – and hid the keys in the safe. He only got rumbled because he couldn’t stop laughing. He was worried he might get told off, but I thought it was hilarious. Nobody ever pranks me and gets away with it usually – but he did! Some chefs are beans-on-toast types at home. What are you like? I love cooking great food at work, but I’m a very simple eater – I’m a heat fiend who is happy with a good steak or a packet of chilli Doritos. Thankfully, my wife, Abbi, is good at anything she does – she’s a DIYer, sparky, gardener, car mechanic, plumber, and a fantastic cook. What would you be if you weren’t a chef? Maybe a baker? (Am I allowed to choose that, as it’s still food?) I’ve been a chef for 22 years – I cooked at home when I was young, and had my first job in the industry when I was 12, starting at the bottom peeling spuds and washing pots – so I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve never had such responsibility as I have in this job, and – in some ways – I’ve never been so stressed in my life. But, equally, I’ve never loved a job more. Finally, then, why should we come? The StarBistros are unique in their ethics and principles, but they serve great coffee and great food, too. We’re here for the learners, but we’re also professionals who take pride in what we produce.
✱ StarBistro at Ullenwood is open Monday-Friday (except Bank Holidays), 9am-4pm. To book a table, call 01242 535984; nationalstar.org