MENU dorset issue 22 MENU22..dorset pdf issue 22. | Page 66

CHEF!
Chef Marc Carella
explains why he’s at
home in Christchurch
D
espite hailing from an Italian
background, Head Chef
Marc Carella at Christchurch
Harbour Hotel turns out to be
more Dorset than Apple Cake.
After four years at the Upper
Deck Bar & Restaurant, he
explains why he wouldn’t want to
be anywhere else…
The long way to Christchurch
66
I completed a three-year
apprenticeship at Bournemouth
& Poole College then trained in
Christchurch, working up to Sous
Chef. Then I spent three years in
Australia, in Perth. Back in
England, I worked in Milford on
Sea before joining Christchurch
Harbour Hotel as Head Chef under
Alex Aitken. With the hotel at 90%
occupancy, we’re always busy and
it’s a 70+ hour week, but we’re all
here for the long haul.
First memories
Being Italian, food was a really
big part of my younger life. We
always used to go to my nan’s
and she was a brilliant cook. That
was in Pescara, with lots of olive
plantations, dried ham, risottos,
and pasta dishes.
A wizard in Oz
When I was there, they were ten
years behind. There was a lot
of classical French and English
dishes. It was nice to bring my
ideas from England and use them
there. It gave me confidence. I also
bought some ideas back with me.
My inspiration
I grew up watching MasterChef
UPPER DECK
Christchurch Harbour Hotel
95 Mudeford, Christchurch,
Dorset, BH23 3NT
Tel: [phone]
www.christchurch-harbour-hotel.co.uk
and that made me want to
give it a go. I was a motorbike
mechanic before cooking so
I’ve always done stuff with my
hands. Even if you’re not a chef,
these programmes inspire you to
buy fresh ingredients and cook.
It’s nice that people are actually
buying the products and having
a go themselves. But it turns
everyone into a food critic so it’s
harder for us!
Favourite ingredients
We get some really good quality
fish straight out of Christchurch
Bay. There’s a couple of fishermen
that will come to the back door
and it’s still flipping about in their
bag. We get really good sea bass
caught off Christchurch ledge, as
well as Dover sole, bream, and
husk. Then there’s squid from
Bournemouth pier, spider crabs
that have started coming into
Christchurch Bay, massive Poole
Bay oysters, and scallops from
Brixham. We’re lucky to be able to
get seasonal fish all year round.
The secret of a great dish
We like to keep things simple. If
you’ve got three or four quality
items on a plate and a sauce, that’s
all you need. There’s only a certain
amount of fruit and veg available
each season and to be able to use
them in different dishes is exciting.
European reunion
To get home from work and have
a decent steak, a lovely glass
of wine, and some antipasti or
carpaccio, that’s my favourite. My
girlfriend is Polish so a little bit of
Polish cooking comes in too.
Winter warmers
In winter we’ve got pumpkin risotto
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
Marc Carella
works under Chef
Patron Alex Aitken
with toasted seeds and Old Winchester
rocket salad. It’s like an English
parmesan. We use Sopley for our
vegetables. We do a nice Tunworth tart.
It’s an English cheese like camembert
that we do with puff pastry, beetroot
chutney, caramelised hazelnuts and a
herb oil. As a winter warmer, we do a
take on a boeuf bourgignon with a blade
of beef with the sauce over it, baby
onions, and smoked bacon.
Dish development
We change the menus each month
but we take the best sellers from
each season. The boys in the kitchen
will go home with the produce and
they’ll come back and ask to try their
dish out. Sometimes in the industry it
can just be you telling them what to
do, so it keeps them motivated.
My favourite restaurants
I like somewhere that does a bit of
fusion – very minimal with three
items on the plate cooked with
local produce, like The Jetty or The
Greenhouse in Bournemouth. I like
experimentation but not pushing it
too far. Truffle oil is a particular bug
bear. It’s a very strong flavour that
has to be used delicately. You can’t
just chuck it on everything.
My love for Dorset
I love the fact that we’re really food
oriented with the festivals cropping
up across the county. There’s so
many local suppliers doing their own
thing – making cider, chutney, and
homemade bread. The local produce
is as good as anywhere.