Let us introduce you to the world’s most exciting hotel chefs as we guide you through the gourmet getaway spots we’re hungering for…
WHO’S IN THE KITCHEN?
Nicholas Balfe, a chef whose journey has taken him from the vibrant urbanity of South London to a laidback bucolic scene at Holm hotel in Somerset, becoming finely attuned to shifts in seasonal flavours and more connected to surrounding nature along the way — thus operating more sustainably too.
At Holm, he’s also taken on the mantle of hotelier, with seven rustic yet refined bedrooms, which are as much a collaboration with the community (with locally made ceramics and artworks) as the cookery.
WHAT’S COOKING?
Dishes that speak of tilled fields, sun-kissed orchards, lively streams and well-looked-after livestock, presented with cosmopolitan verve, on a menu that shifts with seasonal bounties. Think pork loin with apple and black garlic, Meadowlea Farm sirloin with pink fir potatoes, sables topped with rhubarb and chamomile custard…
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Balfe started out as a pot-washer in a Harrogate restaurant, but after a brief diversion into advertising he found himself in stellar company, working through Moro, St John, the River Cottage and Rochelle Canteen where he honed his skills alongside Margot Henderson. Further inspiration came from a formative stint at Brunswick House with Jackson Boxer and the game-changing Young Turks pop-up with Isaac McHale (of Clove Club) and James Lowe (of Lyles), which cemented Balfe’s appreciation for considered provenance and seasonality.
In 2012 he opened his own restaurant, Salon in Brixton Market, inspired by the Parisian Bistronomy movement, followed by Levan in Peckham, which expanded on elegant Euro fare. Then came casual New York-style eatery Larry’s, also in Peckham, before the countryside came calling.
Provenance is central to Holm’s menu. What are the joys and challenges of cooking in hyper-seasonal style?
Cooking this way does represent challenges but in many ways limitations can inform creativity. I feel as though the flavour palate at Holm is quite distinct and natural — that’s an ethos that runs throughout the whole restaurant and hotel concept in many ways.
Is there a favourite dish of yours that you try to keep constant, whatever the weather, on Holm’s menu?
The Westcombe cheddar fries with pickled walnuts. They never leave the menu — cheesy, deep-fried deliciousness is always in season.
You’ve globe-trotted your way through diverse cuisines in your restaurants — what culinary style would you like to direct your compass to next?
While I use seasonal British ingredients, I’m excited by global techniques and flavour combinations. Mediterranean cooking has always been a firm favourite. And it’s no secret that I love fried chicken.
Your menu has British dishes alongside those with more exotic flourishes (we’re looking at the dark-chocolate crémeux with miso ice-cream). How far do you go when experimenting with flavour?
I’ve done my fair share of ‘out there’ combinations: Jerusalem artichoke ice-cream seemed bonkers back in 2016, but I’ve seen it so many times elsewhere since. As I’ve matured I’ve favoured more classic combos. The miso in question really just gives a savoury note alongside all the rich sweetness — it’s like salted caramel, but amped up a little.
What’s your favourite season for ingredients?
It feels like we’re in the depths of winter right now, but there’s nothing bleak about the sight of Yorkshire’s first forced rhubarb arriving. It comes in huge red and yellow boxes, the length of a cricket bat, and you open the lid to find slender stems of vibrant red fruit — such a joy. Rhubarb will be popping up in various iterations on our menus in the coming weeks: roasted and served with a Tunworth cheesecake; poached with blood orange and vanilla to accompany craquelin choux buns and crème pâtisserie; pickled with smoked trout; stewed into a ketchup with ginger and anise to drizzle on pork chops, roasted to a blushing pink… the list goes on and on.
All seasons have their own hero ingredients. And no matter what time of year, I often turn to dishes that aren’t cooked at all: a simple bitter-leaf salad in autumn, perhaps, shredded fermented cabbage in winter, a plate of perfectly ripe tomatoes with good oil and sea salt in summer… the latter is my idea of food heaven.
Which locally grown ingredient inspires you the most when conceiving dishes?
Whichever one is springing up at the time. What grows together, goes together, is my motto.
With such a wealth of produce available to you, which plant-based dishes do you have planned?
Recently we’ve been buying incredibly cultivated mushrooms from a local supplier, which are sustainably grown and taste delicious. They appear on several of our menus in various ways, but in my opinion they’re tastiest when deep-fried in a gluten-free tempura batter, paired with fermented red pepper and drizzled in a sesame dressing — a spectacularly naughty dish.
Which one ingredient could you not live without and what’s your favourite way to use it?
Vinegar. It’s such a powerful seasoning and an essential for almost every savoury dish I make — and quite a few desserts, too.
Where’s your favourite place to travel to? And what’s the best meal you’ve ever had there?
The Balearic islands. Eating fresh shellfish and grilled fish at the chiringuitos with a cold beer in my hand and my toes in the sand was bliss.
ANSWERS À LA MINUTE
You can hop to three countries for breakfast, lunch and dinner — where are you going?
I’d breakfast in London, with Merinda tomatoes on toast and fried eggs with chilli and sage butter at Towpath café. For lunch I’d head to the Balearics for grilled seafood on the beach at Juan Y Andrea in Formentera. For dinner I’d hop to New York for steak and martinis at Keens Steakhouse.
What’s your dream plane food menu?
A gin and tonic and some Pringles — it’s hard to get excited about the actual meals served in-flight.
You’ve snuck some minis onto the plane — what cocktail are you making?
An Old Fashioned.
Room service — what are you ordering?
A club sandwich and a White Russian.
Which dish instantly transports you home?
Rhubarb crumble.
Which dish from your travels do you wish you’d created?
Boudin noir and pomme purée from Le Verre Volé in Paris. What a delight!
What’s your guilty-pleasure holiday treat?
Charcuterie, pastries, gelato, aperitivi, anything involving aioli.
TIME TO SERVE
How to make Nicholas’s comforting dessert…
Buttermilk pudding
Makes one half of a gastronorm tray
Ingredients
– 1kg double cream
– 2 vanilla pods, deseeded
– 150g caster sugar
– 6 gelatine leaves
– 1kg buttermilk
To prepare
Soak the gelatine in water for five minutes. Heat the cream, vanilla and sugar in a small saucepan until simmering, then infuse other aromatics as desired (meadowsweet, bay leaf etc)
Remove the gelatine from the water and add to the saucepan, then pass the mixture through a chinois sieve into a bowl.
Slowly add the buttermilk to the bowl.
Chill overnight in a gastronorm tray, or in moulds for two hours.
Bon appetit!
For more tasty content, get stuck into our interviews with star chefs
Photography by Joe Skilton