Chef of the Week: Jesse Dunford Wood – Chef Proprietor of Parlour in Kensal Rise, London

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
Opened PARLOUR 7 years ago, been here ever since!

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
Cooking dinner parties for my hungry student friends at art college that planted a seed that this could turn into a career with people, food and having a great time creating experiences all being part of this new world.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The Challenge of balancing it all. Technique, Creativity, Managing Staff, Entertaining guests.

Love it all!

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
LEMONS, SALT, SUGAR – ALL ABOUT BALANCE.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
A steel to keep those knives sharp of course..

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Pork Pies (Pate En Croute if you are POSH) , Choux Pastry – profiteroles and eclairs, and those never ending burgers.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Love September actually as we get the last of the Summer sun & Summer ingredients as the tide turns towards Autumn with Game and Sweetcorn and the like. A slightly naughty choice as we then get to choose the best from 2 seasons.

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Chicken Kyiv and modern classic, but also my duck liver profiteroles that are awesome.

Come and try some..

How do you come up with new dishes?
Cooking from the heart, spying on others, through social media or going to eat out.

Always on the look out from new ideas.

Who was your greatest influence?
Great Britain, and all things English. Be them old, be them new, be them traditional. But there is lots to learn from what we do and what we have here.

Tell us three chefs you admire