Chef of the Week: Elliot Plimmer, Executive Chef at The RAF Club in London
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I have been at the RAF Club since March 2025.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
At first when leaving school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I was working part time washing up in a local hotel, I then moved to working on the starter section and enjoyed it and after a while decided to go to a catering college and complete my NVQ 1 & 2.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
I enjoy working with a team, working with younger chefs and watching them grow and flourish.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Truffle, butter & green oil.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
Thermomix.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
I have noticed a lot of chefs including myself are going back to the French classics, beurre blanc etc.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Moving through the ranks too quickly, not staying in kitchens long enough to take in and learn everything there is to take in.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Summer, I love the abundance of vegetables that become available and are at the peak. A beautiful summer vegetable risotto or a lamb canon cooked in butter with asparagus & fresh peas, there is nothing better.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
My confit leg & mushroom pie, I have put it on the menu wherever I have worked.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Checking seasonality for me is most important but also, I find it depends on type of business and the clients you are serving.
Who was your greatest influence?
Matthew Marshall, he taught me so much about management and perception, and the importance of it!
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Adam Byatt, I love his commitment to the classics. John Williams, still the best meal I have every had at the Ritz and Matthew Marshall, great leader and taught me so much.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Tom Kerridge – Hand & Flowers cookbook.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Alex Payne – after winning a Michelin star at the Tudor Pass, I love watching his journey now at Sorrel in Dorking.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Difficult one for me and I cannot think of a new restaurant, but my favourite restaurant is Smokin Goat in Shoreditch.
