MENU dorset issue 16 MENU16..dorset pdf issue 16 | Page 36

Dorset Bakers
Small is Beautiful
Le Petit Prince Patisserie
48b Poole Road, Westbourne,
Bournemouth, BH4 9DZ
01202 989874
www.lepetitprince.co.uk
H
aving trained as a teenager at Bournemouth and Poole College, Michael
Russell embarked on an illustrious career as a chef which included stints at
Langan’s Brasserie, The Grosvenor House, the Lanesborough and The Ivy. His
patisserie has been enjoyed by the Queen, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, among
others. He returned to the UK after four years in Taiwan before opening Le Petit
Prince in Westbourne, Bournemouth.
Is a chef necessarily a good patisserie chef?
In my days, no. Patisserie was always separate. These days they teach chefs these
things so that they have pastry knowledge. However, I’ve still got it separate in mine.
I’ve got nine bakers, kitchen chefs and pastry chefs, two for each shop.
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What are your baking tips?
It’s a very complex thing to do. I think you can make a half decent loaf at home, but
you’re never going to make a great loaf unless you’ve got professional kit. You need
a good baking oven.
You can get the temperature up. You’re baking it on the base of the oven. You can
make greater volume. In the bakery, you get used to the temperature of the bakery,
the temperature of the flour, all different parameters which will set how your dough
will behave. You’re not just following a recipe, you’re following a certain type of feel
as well. You know when it feels right.
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