So Carl, how do you begin creating a new menu?

We start by looking at seasonal produce, both what’s in season and what’s available from our suppliers. We love working with local farmers and producers – for example, they may sometimes have really great produce that we don’t normally work with, but will create something around it because it’s fresh, it’s seasonal and it’s different.

The next part is looking at where the industry is right now; there are always a lot of new trends and new ideas in cooking and we never stop learning and discovering. If something new and exciting is happening, we want to be a part of that. Sometimes that includes eating in other restaurants and speaking to colleagues in the industry, and sometimes it’s based on customer feedback. We love to analyse what dishes and ideas the customers are enjoying the most and working on them in the future.

Carl plating up a dish from the new menu

Skate with crispy chicken wings and sweetcorn purée

How do you balance new ideas with staying faithful to the old classics?

We just make sure we don’t become stale. Of course, we try and use a lot of the same ingredients we’ve been using for 25 years, but that’s because we believe these ingredients are the very best.

We’ve been using a lot of the same farmers and suppliers for our entire history, people like Reg Johnson and his Goosnargh chicken and duck. But we try and reinvent what produce they give us with new techniques and concepts and keep at the cutting edge of food and cooking.

There are dishes and ingredients that will probably never leave our menu, signature dishes such as Heathcote’s black pudding or bread and butter pudding, but we will always look to create something new as well.

How big a difference does the quality of produce make?

A massive difference.

Sourcing the best produce is one of the hardest part of cooking. You need the very best quality source materials to create a fantastic dish.

What are the current trends and techniques in cooking that you find the most exciting?

There seems to be a return to just simple, high quality food. For instance, barbecuing and smoked meats are really popular right now. Paul and I went to see a Big Green Egg being used at a trade show, it’s just a really high quality ceramic barbecue. When we came back I decided to create a pulled pork calzone for the Olive Press. Right now I love charred and smoked vegetables. It’s unpretentious, hearty food that puts taste at the forefront.

Are there any specific techniques you enjoy using right now?

Right now, I love cooking using veggie gels, which are similar to gelatine. For instance, one of the desserts we served on our Prix Fixe menu a few weeks ago was deconstructed strawberries and creams, which consisted of clotted cream ice cream wrapped in a strawberry jelly so it looks like a bright red cannelloni.

Another dish I really enjoy is our whisky smoked salmon. It’s salmon cured in whiskey with salt, sugar and it’s served in a jar filled with smoke created by burning bourbon chips. It smells, looks and tastes fantastic.

Loch Duart cured salmon with beer-pickled onions, oyster mayonnaise and aubergine caviar

Chump of lamb ratatouille 

Which dishes would you choose if you were dining on this menu?

I think it really depends on what I’m in the mood for, but there is a lot of variety. I’d perhaps choose the Goat’s cheese and textures of beetroot to start off with, then either the pan fried salmon or, if not, you can’t beat a good steak! I also think the belly pork dish works really well and the rabbit wellington a good old faithful that’s really popular with our customers. It really depends on what mood you’re in.

What types of food are the best to work with?

It changes all the time, but recently I’ve really enjoyed working with underused parts of animal, for example from a cow you have the cheeks, pencil fillet, brisket. They’re often ignored, but are really tasty. 

Are there any chefs you find really exciting currently?

I really like what Tom Aikens is doing right now, and he inspired our burnt apple purée. In terms of classic cuisine and cooking, it’s still Michel Roux Jnr. La Gavroche is one of my favourite restaurants. 

Who were your idols when becoming a chef?

I’d say a big one would have been Gary Rhodes. 

Which one restaurant would you love to eat in?

Definitely The French Laundry in Napa Valley. I’ve been to Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant in New York.

Heathcote’s black pudding with slow cooked egg, crispy pig’s ear and Pommery mustard purée