Why The Pumproom ?
During lockdown , I decided that it was time to move on from my previous job and spoke to a previous head chef , Lee . They mentioned this place and came down to have a look . I immediately fell in love with the building , its history , surroundings and potential . I wanted to have a chance to have a menu that is 100 % me , my ideas and my recipes .
What is The Pumproom ’ s Concept ?
The concept question is always a difficult one for me ; I find inspiration from anywhere and everywhere , so it ’ s hard to pinpoint it . As a chef and foodie living in Medway , there aren ’ t a lot of restaurants around , so I ’ ve always had to travel to other areas of Kent for work and to eat out , so I guess part of the concept is to offer the very best that we can offer on Medway ’ s doorstep and to provide job opportunities for local chefs who have previously had a commute .
We have a massive interest in minimising waste and sustainability ; we are sourcing local and ethical produce , reducing single use plastics and sourcing plastic alternatives , disposing of what waste we cannot use correctly .
Tell us about the dishes and menu you have created
We are fortunate to be located inside of the Copper Rivet Distillery , so this is obviously a massive focus for us and all of my chefs have spent time next door learning about the processes . We work very closely with the distillery ; we use some of their byproducts for a couple of aspects of our menu . We use the spent grain from the production of the alcohol to make our bread and the yeast from the fermentation process to make our very own yeast extract - what I like to call Chatam-ite .
All of our dishes start from a standout ingredient , seasonality is a must , and we go from there . Our carrot starter , ‘ not another carrot ’, shows how a simple ingredient can be elevated . We cook the carrot in an emulsion of carrot juice and cold pressed rapeseed oil ( with a few aromatics ), and simply coat it with a sticky tamarind which we grill to release all the sugars , top with a dukka spice and nut blend , pickled mustard seeds and serve with a cashew puree which is made by blending cashews in cashew milk . Super , super simple .
What is your signature / favourite dish ?
Bone marrow fondue , shallot , cockle , smoked eel and spent grain cracker . It ’ s been on the à la carte since day one and I love it ; it ’ s not the prettiest dish that we do , but the flavour is unreal and it certainly hits the mark for me .
What is your guilty pleasure ?
Instant ramen , crisps and anything that shouldn ’ t be on a crumpet on a crumpet .
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