Chef of the Week: Sam Elliott, Chef Proprietor of Pasture in Bristol

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
2 years, pasture opened in March 2020. 

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
From a very young age, loved the creativity and limitless boundaries of cooking. I travelled to the Isles of Scilly immediately after leaving school to learn my basic chef skills. 

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The challenge, the environment, working with likeminded highly motivated people 

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without?
(Salt? Too obvious,) Vinegar, Chilli, Garlic.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
My charcoal oven.

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Restraint, sustainability, Vegan.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
The Summer, our farm thrives in the summer, it’s like a candy shop for the chefs! 

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
All of them!

How do you come up with new dishes?
Normally over a beer after service with the chefs.

Who was your greatest influence?
Gennaro Contaldo, my chef mentor.

Tell us three chefs you admire?
David Chang, Peter Sanchez-Inglesias, Fergus Henderson 

What is your favourite cookbook?
Momofuku.

Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Peter Sanchez-Inglesias, Freddy Bird.

What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Little French.