OUR MEMBERS

Who is your culinary inspiration? Lennox Hastie—although he’s based in Australia, so I’ve admittedly only admired him from afar at this point. Fire is integral to what he does and gives him a whole added dimension, but his commitment to it is only part of what makes him a remarkable cook. 

Tell us about your earliest food memory? Eating baked beans at about six or seven years old at home. I was attempting to be a "good boy" for my mum but I absolutely hated them and not long after, I was copiously sick!

Tell us about your earliest food memory? My earliest food "memory" comes from a story I am told from when I was a toddler. My dad, a born and bred Londoner, is a big fan of local shellfish. He shared a whelk with me which – it has been said – stayed in my mouth for 2 hours before it finally disappeared.

It’s late at night, you’ve just got home. What are you rustling up for dinner? Soft whites as we say at home, this means fish finger sandwiches, lots of tartare sauce, delicious. Or it would be cheese on toast with Worchester sauce and a bowl of hot soup.

What ingredient would you take to a desert island with you, and why? Chicken! (I’d hope there would be someone there to cook it for me) but I could eat chicken all day long.

What is your favourite season in terms of produce?  The end of spring and start of summer. As the weather starts to warm up, you get an overlap of so many ingredients.

What is your favourite season in terms of produce? Summer, everything is just better with sun. More variety with availability of fruit & vegetables but also more to put on the braai.

You host a one-off dinner party on an island…who would you invite to share your table? David Bowie, Jim Morrison, Louis Theroux, Amy Winehouse, Charlotte Bronte, Marilyn Monroe. A bunch of my friends so we could share the love!

It’s late at night, you’ve just got home. What are you rustling up for dinner? A go-to meal in this scenario would be a simple spaghetti aglio e olio. This dish is perfect for late nights because it’s quick, requires minimal ingredients, and is incredibly comforting. Plus, the ingredients are pantry staples, so they’re almost always on hand.

Tell us about a dish, tradition or recipe that represents your culture or heritage? Scones! Acceptable any time of day, any occasion, Irish people have a strong tradition of eating scones. In all good cafes/ coffee shops/bakeries/pubs, delis, services station there will be huge baskets of freshly made scones. Clotted cream is only ever served during a formal afternoon tea, and there's never a cream/ jam first argument! 

You host a one-off dinner party on an island…who would you invite to share your table? No one famous—my one-off dinner party would be all of my best friends, from wherever they are in the world, around the same table at the same time.

It’s late at night, you’ve just got home. What are you rustling up for dinner? It would have to be Tonkotsu ramen with a soft egg, spring onions and obviously la-yu chilli oil.

Tell us about a dish, tradition or recipe that represents your culture or heritage? I’m Indonesian and the food options are so vast, it’s amazing! My favourite Indonesian street food snack: mpek-mpek (pronounced pempek). It’s a savoury fishcake, but it’s not flaky or potato-y like a traditional fishcake. It’s usually made from the flesh of mackerel and tapioca flour formed into ball or similar, and then deep fried to give you a crispy coating and chewy inside. It’s served with a sauce similar to the Vietnamese Nuoc Cham sauce – it’s sweet, a bit sour with vinegar and if you have it like I do, ferociously hot! I love that mepk-mpek is made and served in all different ways, depending on who makes it or where in Indonesia you’re from