Chef of the Week: Adrian Barnwell, Chef Patron at Silk House Dining in Kent
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
2 years at Silk House Dining. I built it!
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
In my youth I was entranced by the late Joyce Molyneaux at The Original Carved Angel in Dartmouth. I worked in her kitchen for a long and busy summer and got the bug. She taught me to cook, to taste and to garden.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
Talking to our guests and making them feel happy. We frequently do bespoke menus for guests and when they love it, that’s very rewarding. Also, I like being with our suppliers.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, water and onions.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
Ovens. But I like my handmade Japanese knives too.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
We find that people are getting tired of tasting menus and there is a resurgence of demand for traditional cooking skills and fewer gimmicks – with very fresh and high-quality ingredients that are not overly “tweezered” but still beautifully presented. We are also finding that our customers do not necessarily want lots of wine but want better quality and are happy to engage at a higher price point.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Not understanding what customers really want and being unwilling to ask customers what they really thought of the food. So, we should not just ask what guests liked, but also what they think we could have improved or even didn’t like. You learn more from constructive criticism than polite praise. I also think that many chefs tend to undervalue the crucial role of superb service: front of house staff are just as important as the cooks, as they are the ones directly engaging with guests throughout the meal. Guests remember fantastic hospitality.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
I don’t have a favourite. Every season is different and personally I look forward to all seasonal changes whether that be when our first asparagus shoots are ready for harvest, when our summer glut of vegetables challenge the kitchen, early spring when we start to get the best dover soles again from the freezing cold sea in Rye Bay, and when we start to harvest our autumn fruits from the orchards surrounding us. Right now, wild garlic is in abundance and is a very versatile vegetable.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
It is a bit arrogant to be proud of dishes. My philosophy is that farmers and kitchen gardeners and fishers deliver first class produce that nature has masterminded. My job is to respect that and not screw it up. Currently we are hot smoking our own whole salmon and that is a good dish.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Travelling opens the mind when we can eat out in interesting places. I’m a bit addicted to collecting cookery books: old and new. 600 or so. I never cook from them but enjoy reading them to challenge my mind and ideas. Most of my inspiration though comes from getting to know our farmer suppliers, the fishermen, the mushroom foragers, etc. We have a large kitchen garden and every year we (by which I mean my partner) grow a lot of produce from seed and I derive inspiration from growing new varieties. We also make some mistakes this way but learn from those too.
Who was your greatest influence?
Friends. Cooking for friends taught me how to make people happy with food and wine. I’m much less influenced by other chefs than I am by our guests. The best meal I ever had was in a humble restaurant in France. I have no idea who the chef was, but the simple ingredients shone. Chicken and Morels since you ask. Spending time with Georges Blanc did make an impact on me as he really cared about produce and what his customers thought. Phil Howard is brilliant – I like his creativity and simplicity.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
In the UK, early Marco when he was at the stoves, Phil Howard and no-nonsense Richard Corrigan. Joyce as first mentioned too of course. I’ve met some interesting and very skilled chefs in Japan, and Scandi cuisine has been influential. I didn’t really buy into the molecular gastronomy movement though. James Martin is brilliant on TV as he showcases producers as well as chefs, in a very engaging way.
What is your favourite cookbook?
This changes weekly! Some of my favourites are quite old. I’m currently re-reading Relæ A Book of Ideas by Christian Puglisi, which is superb, unusual and challenging. Of contemporary books Core by Clare Smyth is on my desk and has well written recipes and is beautifully photographed. I like the El Bulli and Noma books too, as they are different to my cooking and open different doorways in my mind. I would quite like to read Sat Baines Too Many Chefs Only One Indian too – but can’t afford it!
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
I‘m very much enjoying Jack Croft and Will Murray who run Fallow, Fowl etc. They have by some margin the best You Tube channel and good, honest, low waste cooking, plus a great attitude to sharing skills online. It makes for a superb marketing message.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
I’ve been so busy with our own restaurant that we have only eaten out at a few established places in the UK and Netherlands in the last 18 months. Elystan Street, The Ledbury, Fallow. I have a list of new ones to try, but no time to do it.
