Why Balfour Hospitality ?
So far , in all of my career , I would hand-on-heart say they are the greatest , and yet most humble company to be employed by for a number of reasons . They truly do respect their staff and wish for them to achieve greatness , and they look after their team members by keeping in touch with their individual needs , ensuring they are being paid fairly and helping them to attain further qualifications if so wished as well .
They are extremely focused on the business from the front customer-facing side to the back where the magic happens and always strive for perfection rather than just making do .
I do generally just adore and love the ethos of quality over quantity and the continual reach for perfection , but never forgetting the little things that truly matter to a lot of people , both in and out of the business .
What is Balfour Hospitality ’ s concept ?
The whole estate has individual concepts dependent upon each site , what their USP is , and what their clientele base want , but the group as a whole is all about the feeling of true quality . This is prevalent in everything we do from the presentation of the staff ; the expert execution of the menus and food including the plating of dishes ; the perfection of the décor ; the gorgeous plush rooms we have to offer , and the ambience set in the dining rooms , to our locally sourced quality produce – we work tirelessly to gain the best on offer . As soon as you walk into any of our restaurants or rooms you just feel at home with a real touch of opulence .
Tell us about the dishes and menu you have created ?
My entire concept and ethos with any of my food / menus is all about twisting people ' s perception of what is possible with food and how far we are now able to take things ; subtle but intriguing . I will always keep things simple enough that every dish is accessible to all that are dining with us but interesting enough that each mouthful gives a different flavour experience or flavour on the palate that builds and builds .
I always seek and endeavour to use as much locally sourced / grown produce to keep the food miles down , and always keep everything as seasonal as possible ; at the end of the day , we are in The Garden of England , so why not take full advantage of this fact ? I don ’ t tend to overcomplicate my plates ; I like to focus heavily on the execution of the main ingredient
with just a few garnishes to help make it sing . If you over complicate the dish it loses all sense of what it was once trying to be .
What is your signature / favourite dish ?
That is a very broad question as I love absolutely anything I cook - other than offal ! I originally trained as a pastry chef when I first started in kitchens years ago and my love for the pastry kitchen has never left me , so I would have to say something sweet . One that I recently concocted for one of my spring menus is pretty knockout and combines all the flavors I love , so the current winner is Kentish strawberry and black pepper parfait , balsamic gel , shortbread crumb , strawberry meringue , basil oil , and lemon balm .
What is your guilty pleasure ?
I have many guilty pleasures in my life but the two that really are the most important to me outside of my work life is spending as much valuable time as I can with my amazing wife and three incredible children . The other would be working on and restoring cars .
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