Audience With

Audience with... IN ASSOCIATION WITH The NEW CCS 2016/17 CATALOGUE New Request yours today! Visit: www.chefs.net CALL US TODAY ON 0808 1001 777 or Email: [email protected] C ontents Philip howard 04 Angela Hartnett 08 Tom Kerridge 12 Simon Rogan 18 IN ASSOCIATION WITH Audience with... Philip Howard T ogether with CCS, The Caterer invited chef-restaurateur Phil Howard to be interviewed by its editor Amanda Afiya and to share his invaluable experience with 50 young chefs. Janie Manzoori-Stamford reports ext year, the Square restaurant in London’s Mayfair will celebrate its 25th Nbirthday. Reaching such a milestone is an accomplishment in any industry, but even more so when you consider that Philip Howard had only three years’ experience when he was made head chef and that the restaurant has retained two Michelin stars since 1998. It’s an achievement that countless chefs would love to emulate, though it wasn’t always plain sailing for the chef. Howard, who battled a cocaine addic- tion during the Square’s infancy, is the first to admit that it has been years of hard work, sacrifices and ups and downs. “But on the other hand, it has given me a life beyond my wildest dreams. I might have had some shit days, but I’ve never had a boring day,” he says. With a larger-than-most dining room, the Square, in its current home [it relocated from St James’s in 1996] boasts a lively atmosphere that eschews any pretensions to be a hushed temple of gastronomy. However, the scale of the operation had its challenges, as Howard admits: “In the early days, it was a lot of hard work because when you’re open seven days a week and you’re doing 100 covers a night at that sort of level, it’s not easy. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I’ve always been such a teamwork man. You can’t try and run something like this on your own.” Releasing potential The only way to stand at the pass and plate every single dish sent out at a restaurant of this size is to be a complete control freak, which he says can be tempting when you’re just starting in front of house to look after the customers. appreciate we’re not perfect. That’s combined out, but if you succeed in pulling your team This simple recipe for success has resulted with the fact that I can’t be strategic in my cook- together in order to deliver, it’s empowering in immense critical acclaim and numerous ing. I have to cook what I want to cook; so often in the long run: “It means you’re not trying plaudits from consumers and industry peers a percentage of every menu is usually quite to do everything and as an individual you’ve alike, including two Catey awards (see time- simple because I believe in and want to cook it. got so much more potential. If you try and do line panel) and two highly coveted Michelin “All that really matters as a head chef is the whole thing yourself, you can never do any stars, which have been held for 17 years. Are that you’re effective and how you go about more than that.” there ambitions to go for the hat-trick? that doesn’t really matter. You’ve got to get Howard describes the Square as an honest “Of course, I’ve thought about three stars. a team of people to achieve what you want restaurant. It’s an ethos that radiates from both We’ve had two for so long now that thinking them to achieve and some people choose to the menu and the style of service. The priority, about getting three is inevitable,” says How- beat it out of [them], and other people not. he says, has always been about cooking deli- ard. “I like to think I’ve always been honest The reality is three stars is all about a qual- cious food, not trying to be too clever, progres- enough and spent enough time in the kitchen ity of cooking achieved consistently, and sive or innovative, and employing great people plating food and doing hard services to I do believe that a lot of what we do cook is 4 | The Caterer www.thecaterer.com IN ASSOCIATION WITH as one of the best in the world, has unsur- prisingly undergone countless stages of evolution in the time since the Square opened, so how does Howard know which food trends to embrace and those to avoid? The Square has had its moments in the media spotlight, gracing the covers of countless magazines, but “You’ve got as new sensations arrive on the scene, there’s to get a team pressure to feel top of the game forever. “But that doesn’t happen so inevitably of people to and, particularly in the last 10 years as things have changed so much, I’ve had phases of achieve what worrying whether my career is progressing enough. What do I do to keep it relevant? Damn, you want them I’d better start cooking my beef at 62 degrees, to achieve and not roasting it in butter. And so in that time I’ve done a lot of eating and cooking, and see- some people ing what other people do, but it’s still about choose to beat being honest.” it out of [them], Maximising flavour A vacuum-packed loin of lamb cooked in and other a water bath might come out a consistent colour and tender when sliced, but the people not” problem is it doesn’t taste of anything, insists Howard. With that, the Square has reached a point where meat is roasted on the bone to maximise flavour. Traditional cooking tech- niques are employed because, he says, it’s about being honest and asking: “What will IA actually benefit the eating and what am I just ED M getting off on as a process?” TY I L All this comes from a man who didn’t A T PI initially set out to be a chef. But while a micro- OS H biology degree might be unlikely to sow the seeds of a love for food, being forced to start of suitable quality. And I certainly think more cooking as a self-sufficient university student recently the consistency has improved too.” certainly did. But while the imminent publication of “I suddenly found this thing that I abso- a Michelin guide was once anxiety-inducing lutely knew I was put on the Earth to do,” says for Howard, who would find it impossible not Howard. “And it wasn’t because I was par- to get his hopes up, last year, for the first time, ticularly good at it; I just thought, this is me, the big day arrived without all of the usual cooking is what I want to do.” stress. “I only clicked that it was Michelin After graduating and a spot of travelling, day when I saw Twitter going mad,” he says. he returned to the UK hell-bent on pursu- “I thought, ‘that’s nice’. It’s not that I don’t care ing this new-found passion. He sent letters to any more. I want the Square to go on and fulfil all the great and good of the day’s restaurant its full potential with our new head chef Gary scene, and ultimately bagged a job offer at the [Foulkes], but it’s no longer a particular goal.” Roux brothers’ City contract catering business ▲ The British food scene, these days billed Roux Restaurants. Howard found himself in www.thecaterer.com The Caterer | 5 Audience with... See video highlights from ‘An audience with Philip Howard’ on The Caterer’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/caterersearch ▲ a busy kitchen where he believes he benefited no idea existed. Howard was so completely an exciting prospect, it was laced with uncer- from a learning curve far steeper than any he blown away that when he was lucky enough tainty, as far as the bill was concerned. might have found in a top-end restaurant. to end up in conversation with White at the “Jen [Howard’s wife] and I would go down “That’s something to consider as a training end of the night, he asked for a job. at the ripe old age of 23, earning no money at chef,” he says, suggesting that leaving college “I worked at Harvey’s for about a year and, all, and sometimes he would give us Cham- for a job in an independent restaurant has its like pretty much everyone else, my exit was pagne, wine, a menu and no bill, which is kind downsides. “[After a year at the restaurant] with a P45 and not through my choice,” he of what he insinuated when he called,” says you might leave being able to make a fantas- explains. “I was absolutely furious that he Howard. “Then sometimes we’d get a bloody tic rye soil or an amazing oyster meringue, sacked me. I was working six days a week and bill at the end of it and, at that point in your life, but if you’re really honest, it’s not particularly more and he sacked me one night for boiling you can’t handle a bill like that out of the blue.” useful for all but the select few. a bloody pomme purée.” The couple became determined never to “In a small brigade you cover the ground so be caught out like that again.

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