Chef of the Week: Brayden Davies, Head Chef at The Box Tree in Ilkley, West Yorkshire
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
Just over a year.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My passion in the kitchen came from working in a kitchen from the age of 14. I was quite fortunate to excel in cooking, so it was a very natural career path. My Grandma was also a very good cook, so it was always something I enjoyed.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
I love expressing myself on the plate, experimenting with different flavours and very much telling the guest a story via my food and thought process behind it.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Garlic, thyme and butter.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
A Rational combi oven as they are super versatile and efficient.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
I’d say aging fish is a big one everyone seems to do now, also A5 Japanese wagyu beef seems to be absolutely everywhere.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
I think chefs sometimes try to cook for other chefs instead of their customers! Not everyone wants to eat everything weird & wonderful, there is nothing wrong with a classic & I think sometimes people lose what cooking is about… flavour! Not everything has to be fermented.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
For me working & living in Yorkshire, it has to be spring. It’s a great time of the year for things such as spring lamb, peas, wild garlic, allium flowers , wild mushrooms etc. it’s the ingredients in spring that have kept me in the UK for so long, being from Australia.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
I’m extremely proud of our current Australian Wagyu dish, it showcases ingredients that are close to my heart in the form of finger lime, Westholme wagyu sirloin and then finished with a surf & turf kind of style tempura Lindisfarne oyster and Exmoor caviar. Basically, just the perfect balance of fat, citrus & salt.
How do you come up with new dishes?
The process is endless really, sometimes ideas come at the weirdest times or sometimes ingredients themselves do the work for you. I find a lot of the time, small things like the dining room itself at The Box Tree inspire me. For example, serving a tea & toast inspire mille feuille based on the bar at The Box Tree as it use to be a tea room.
Who was your greatest influence?
My greatest influence would be my mentor Shaun Rankin, he very much took me from being a good cook and made me into a great chef.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Shaun Rankin, Brett Graham and Matt Abe.
What is your favourite cookbook?
The French Laundry, still a book I go back to monthly.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
For me Josh Overington at Myse. It looks like he just keeps turning it up another level with every Instagram I see. His ethos and use of local ingredients is something that inspires me to be a better cook each day.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
It has to be Skof, its great to see an amazing chef in Tom Barnes open something in The North in a powerhouse city such as Manchester.
