WW L L INTERVIEW
AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL ASKEW
Wirral Life talk to Paul Askew - Celebrity Chef and owner of The Art School Restaurant in Liverpool - about his life , career and TV appearances .
Paul Askew grew up in a small terrace house in Cleveland Road , Sunderland in the North East of England . His father was a Captain in the Merchant Navy , working for Blue Star Line , whose main office was located in Liverpool . Many of Paul ’ s early years were spent travelling the world , from London to Dubai , where he went to school for 2 years - he then spent some time in Singapore and then back to the Wirral . Paul puts it down to the spice and fish markets of Dubai and Singapore that ignited his passion for the culinary arts . Paul moved to the Wirral when he was 4 , which remains his home today . He studied at the Grammar school and following his A-Levels went on to study catering at the local college ( Wirral Metroplitan ) before following a career in the industry that has seen him work on both sides of the Atlantic . Paul is the owner of the famous Art School Restaurant in Liverpool , and has appeared on Saturday Kitchen and more recently , Great British Menu . He is also the current Chairman of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in the North of England . Here we talk to Paul in a fascinating and exclusive interview .
It ’ s only a few weeks since we last saw you on TV competing in the North West heat of Great British Menu , so obviously our readers will want to hear all about your experience on the show .
Firstly , let ’ s talk about the low score Daniel Clifford gave for your starter , which must be really hard for a Chef of your calibre and experience to take - why put yourself through that pressure ? Ha ha , I thought you might want to ask about that ! I loved the show it was one of the best and toughest challenges of my career . I felt , as you can imagine , very surprised and a little puzzled as I had the dish on at the restaurant in the run up to filming and it was universally endorsed as a popular Art School favourite . With Claremont Farm asparagus and summer truffles , I was sure the connection with the Wirral ’ s own Lottie Dodd , the 5 times Wimbledon winner would be absolutely in-line with the brief . Lottie was known as the Little Wonder and asparagus is something of a little wonder , growing up-to 5-6cm overnight . Daniel obviously saw it differently , and as he is a two star chef
who has a lot of experience on the show you have to take that feedback . I say the same to the brigade in the kitchen and I expect a dignified response from them . I ’ m not sure if in his own little way he wanted to give me a little kick , maybe in his eyes to get the best out of me – or maybe he just doesn ’ t like duck eggs ! Either way I enjoy the pressure and feel I am at my best when it ’ s at its most intense . Chefs of my era and calibre know how to react to challenges and opinions , so I didn ’ t let it get to me and I was determined to get to the final day to cook for the judges . Probably the most important thing for me was to represent Liverpool as a city , to my knowledge I was the first chef running a restaurant in the city to appear on the show . I wanted to bring some focus on the dining scene that ’ s happening in the city and the show was a great platform to do it .
You bounced back brilliantly later in the week with a stunning main course of hogget served four ways , called “ Summer Memories with Marjorie ” this scored a perfect ten from Daniel - how did that make you feel ? It was very emotional . The dish was invented for my mother who was sadly terminally ill at the time of filming and passed before the show was aired . Although we are sworn to secrecy by the production team I was able to share with her . So at the time it wasn ’ t about the show , or proving anything to Daniel it was about me doing the best dish I could , to honour my mother and show off some of the best rare breed meat that the North West can produce . It was massively emotional and thankfully satisfying and I guess as far as the show goes it put me right back in the competition and helped me cook for the judges in the regional final on the Friday . Clearly it ’ s now a signature dish at the Art School and features on our current excellence menu , guests are served it in exactly the same style as the show , complete with Hebridean Hogget Horn Jus jug . My mum would have loved not just the taste of the lamb but also the ceremony of the presentation .
I would imagine that appearing on both Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu has been good for business - would you say that this is the case , and if so which show has made the biggest difference ? wirrallife . com 17