Tell us about your cooking inspirations ? How do you curate a menu ?
I would say my cooking style encapsulates a mix of modern British cuisine with notes of north Africa . I can ’ t get enough of Egyptian and Moroccan flavours and use a lot of harissa and ras el hanout in my cooking . I want to incorporate flavours that you wouldn ’ t typically find on a UK menu and surprise people in a good way . As well as those , I am very fond of Japanese cuisine . I love the power of miso and have always wanted to play around with Nordic styles ; the stripped back but technical approach . Perhaps that is something for tasting nights in the future .
In terms of starting a dish , it varies depending on how I am feeling at the time . Experimenting is definitely key when it comes to getting it right ; sometimes I ’ ll start with a protein and then create a sauce or side , and other times I think , ‘ oh that would work better with the pork ’ and so on . It ’ s all about working as a team , and I am always encouraging the team at herd . to bring new ideas to the table .
What ’ s your signature / favourite dish and why ?
We are a steak restaurant , so steak is our signature ingredient , but we are also so much more than that and the concept is very much accessible to everyone . With that in mind , I have been working on a really exciting vegetarian dish . The star ingredient is Lion ' s Mane mushrooms which are sourced from a local grower ; they come served with a caramelised cauliflower puree ( because cauli is the king of ingredients ) miso , pomegranate and a Japanese furikake ; a seasoning that is made in-house .
I also love our new chipotle-cured pork secreto dish . Secreto is the cut taken from under the shoulder of the pig , in butchery it ’ s regarded as the ‘ secret ’ cut because it ’ s so good and everyone wants to keep it . This comes served with fried corn ribs and a harissa and lime butter .
I have to give a shout out to our Josper grill ; the star of the show . The Josper is run on wood and charcoal which is ( again ) sourced locally , and reaches temperatures of 500 degrees , it ’ s perfect for achieving BBQ smokey flavours as it seals the meat and you get a beautiful crust . Even our sticky toffee pudding gets a blast in the grill , which is what gives it that delicious smokiness .
What do you envisage for the next few years ?
In comparison to our new menu , our first menu was purposefully quite reserved . We are constantly looking to experiment with new ingredients and flavours . We have a fantastic team , and of course it would be amazing for them to be recognised for their hard work and determination ; to achieve an award would be the dream . For me it ’ s all about a love for cooking , sharing my passion with the team and our guests , and more importantly having fun . I can ’ t wait to see what the future holds for herd . It ’ s a pretty special place .
And lastly , what ’ s your guilty pleasure ?
I love a peanut butter sarnie , but my absolute guilty pleasure is a Bernard Matthew ’ s Chicken Kiev . When you ’ ve worked a long shift and you need something quick and easy they hit the spot . Also , they have to be swimming in vinegar . Don ’ t judge me , I ’ ve had them since I was a kid ! I ’ m also a huge fan of BrewDog ; I love their beer and can ’ t wait for them to open up in Canterbury .
www . herdcanterbury . co . uk
herd . canterbury darrylquested
93