Chef of the Week: Anthony Wright, Head Chef L20 Hotel School in Liverpool
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
8 years.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
Working for Macdonald Hotels and attending Wigan and Leigh College.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
Cooking great tasting and visual good-looking food. And passing on knowledge to the next generation of chefs.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, butter and cream.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
Thermomix.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
The classics coming back in fashion.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Timekeeping.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Springtime so many great ingredients coming into season.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
My takes on classics such as rhubarb and custard and lemon meringue pie. And at Christmas time we serve creamed sprouts, and they are amazing.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Back to classics flavour combination and using modern techniques.
Who was your greatest influence?
Tough one… But growing up watching Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux Jr and Raymond Blanc.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Michel Roux Jr, Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Alinea.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Ellis Barrie, Oli Martin and Elliot Hill all local to the North West.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Hard to say, but I feel sorry for all the restaurants that closed last year. Truly heart-breaking.
