Steam, Saints and Scallops It’S the Part of the Scallop We Eat – Surface of the Flat Top Stove

FINANCIAL TIMES JANUARY 17/JANUARY 18 2004 " WEEKEND W5 FOOD AND DRINK Born of an Irish Catholic mother and Jewish father, he describes himself in his rich voice as a “complete mongrel”. His mother, Shelagh, was an adventur≤ ous, Elizabeth David-style cook. She liked to make meat with fruit, such as ‘I like to guinea fowl roasted with a peach inside, and cooked according to her obsessions. “She did sour cream with everything for six months,” he says, fiddling with his half-moon glasses and pulling at his hair. “Then it would be apricots or rice for meal after meal.” He had a peripatetic childhood in Northern Ireland, Bedfordshire and go against Gloucestershire and settled young into an anarchic lifestyle. “I spent most of one term at school in disgrace ∞ with my desk facing the wall,” he explains. “Then I moved to Clifton College in Bristol, only to be expelled aged 15.” Leigh wasn’t accepted by any of his UCCA universities, so he decided to sit the Cambridge entrance exam. He won the grain’ an exhibition to read English at Christ’s College. Did he dine in hall? “Never,” he responds, vehemently. “I Top chef Rowley Leigh starts his FT cookery column this tried it once,” he adds. Instead he week and tells Caroline Phillips about his robust, refined style cooked dry curries or ate at the local Cypriot restaurants. “But Christ’s did owley Leigh was doing a cook≤ rhubarb, which was last year’s trend good breakfasts.” ery demonstration ∞ his first ingredient.” He left Cambridge without a degree. and last ∞ in Perth, Scotland, He dismisses foodie fashion. “I like “I walked out of Part Ones. I was in a in 1989. Most chefs prepare to go against the grain a bit. At the contemptuous, drug-induced, political assiduously for such present≤ moment, people serve treviso with fish state of mind.” He drifted to work on Rations. But Leigh decided to improvise, and belly of pork with just about every≤ his father’s new venture ∞ a dairy choosing to extol the wonders of wild thing. There are trends not just in farm. There he grew his own vegeta≤ salmon to the 100 housewives who had ingredients but also techniques. bles and immersed himself in Elizabeth gathered to watch him. Veloute´, cappuccino and fruit slices David. He left and wrote 40 pages of an After five minutes, he’d lost their confited into thin, tasteless pieces,” he “academic” detective novel and played attention. “Suddenly I realised the snorts with derision. “I particularly lots of snooker. Then he went to Joe town hall was full of people involved in loathe deconstruction ∞ when you get a Allen’s. salmon farming. People who didn’t long, rectangular plate with five differ≤ He thinks the best food in the world think wild salmon a very good idea,” ent ways of doing a pig ∞ a slab of is in Italy. “I love their respect for their laughs Leigh. “I dried up totally.” He pork, a pig’s trotter, a piece of pork ingredients and rules. They have a cut himself slightly, filleting the fish. loin. Instead of having a focused, intel≤ very clear syntax to a meal ∞ antipasto, He called on the next demonstrator ligent meal, you get the chef showing Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place: ‘The problem is some cooks are not in love with food’ Charlie Bibby pasta then meat or fish ∞ and are end≤ (the lesser-known Gary Rhodes) to off. To me, it’s denatured and taste≤ lessly creative within the basic for≤ assist him. Then he spluttered some≤ less.” people in the country don’t know what and buying arms of the business. lowed a recipe, but reads cookery mula.” His favourite meal is oysters thing about checking his potatoes and Leigh dislikes pandering to our to do with the damn things. Countr y Five years later he became head chef books avidly for inspiration. He and grouse. But at least once a week he ran offstage ∞ never to return. obsession with variety. “We need sea≤ cooking is rather more genuine.” at Le Poulbot ∞ where the Gault Millau admires Paul Bocuse, Alice Walters eats a take-away curry from Pyasa in Leigh, 53, is head chef at London’s sonal food, stews in winter and salads There is a peppermint-coloured Smeg Guide awarded him 16 out of 20, and Anna del Conte. Shepherd’s Bush. perennially fashionable restaurant, in summer. As the world gets smaller fridge in the kitchen of his west Lon≤ against 15 for Le Gavroche. And in “I hate to single them out. There are “I try to eat healthily, but I still eat Kensington Place, and executive chef and markets more international, don home. Nearby is a book on fruit 1987, he opened Kensington Place, an so many people that I admire.” He is far too much,” he opines. Has he ever of the Moving Image group, which there’s a danger of everything we eat juices, the River Cafe Cookbook and Anglicised French restaurant which categorically uninterested in television followed a diet? “No.” Does he ever cut includes Launceston Place, Avenue, becoming standardised and tasteless,” Nigella Lawson’s tomes. “Very mislead≤ becomes increasingly Anglicised. chefs. “I get my ideas by dreaming of foodstuffs out of his diet? “Pah.” Circus and East at West. He’s the he says. “If we care what we eat, we ing,” says Leigh “Those are my wife’s In the 1980s, when his style evolved, faraway places and times. Recently I’ve Indeed, he thinks the main difference renowned author of No Place Like should buy seasonal food from small books!” His own arcane and disparate Leigh’s cookery was dubbed New been doing roast cod with anchovy between amateur and professional Home ∞ a witty cookery book about collection lines his study walls: from Wave. “That’s very vieille vague now,” sauce, which is a 17th-century recipe, cooking is seasoning: “People would be dishes that are better cooked at home, the yellow, crumbling pages of J.B. he responds. “I hope my cookery’s and a 19th-century hot pot.” horrified if they knew how much salt from stew to steak and kidney pie and Reboul on bourgeois French cookery robust and refined. Refined in the He refers to A Catalan Cook Book by chefs use.” summer pudding, and which focuses on ‘My philosophy is to make (one of his favourite books) to sense of paring things down. But with Noel Davis. “It’s basic Catalan cooking, Leigh enjoys cooking at home. He’s the ingredients Britain grows best, Simon Hopkinson (a friend) and strong, clear flavours.” His signature like roast partridge with picada ∞ an twice married and has three children from sea kale to quinces and wild sea proper plates of food and to two huge volumes of Mastering the Art dishes are a much-plagiarised chicken aromatic mixture of garlic, peppers, living with him. “We don’t entertain a trout ∞ for which he gained a Guild of of French Cooking ∞ due to be returned and goat’s cheese mousse with olives, nutsand almonds which they fry up lot. But I cook for my wife two or three Food Writers Award. make simple things good. It’s to Kensington’s Central Library in and scallops with pea pure´e and mint briefly and add to the stew at the times a week. I find it relaxing.” On He has won the coveted Glenfiddich 1978. vinaigrette. end. It’s the spirit of place that Sundays he’ll often do roast chicken Award for the quality of his newspaper what you leave out of the In 1977, aged 27, he was broke and “I come from the Elizabeth David inspires me.” with roast potatoes. “I’ll chuck in writing. He also owns one of London’s picked up a copy of the London Even≤ school. I’m a middle class guy who got Another book that fires his imagina≤ something playful that makes the chil≤ leading wet fish shops. And his cook≤ food that makes it special’ ing Standard. It contained an advertise≤ into cooking and wanted to demystify tion is The Food of Italy by Waverley dren throw up their hands in despair. ery has had an enormous influence on ............................................................... ment for a grill chef at Joe Allen, the it. My philosophy is to make proper Root. “In Calabria, they do mussels Something like onion squash with gastro-pubs. producers.” He supports farmers’ mar≤ American diner in Covent Garden. “I plates of food and to make simple with garlic and a bit of tomato. In spring onion and chilli or with fennel His driving force is the seasonal kets, small producers, small butchers’ thought, ‘I’ll try that.’” What drew him things good. Every chef quotes Escof≤ Liguria, they do them with basil and seed and sage. That’s quite experimen≤ ingredient. “The last two or three shops, fishmongers, greengrocers, deli≤ to cookery? “Greed and poverty.” He fier’s ‘fait simple’. But I really cream. I’m turned on by places with a tal for me.” He pauses. “The problem is months I’ve spent cooking cabbage,” he catessens and buying by mail order or began at Joe Allen and loved the believe in refining and simplifying. It’s strong regional identity.” Leigh, the some cooks are not in love with food. laughs. “And I’ve been doing lots of through the internet. drama of the kitchen. He started what you leave out of the food that third of four children, is the son of My problem is that I love food too different lamb recently ∞ from the “Personally, I shop at Notting Hill devouring cookery books.

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