Member of the Month March 2022: Simon Harrison

Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is simon harrison

As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Simon will receive an item of TSC merch of his choosing and will be entered in our Member of the Year 2022 competition. The Staff Canteen Member of the Month feature is brought to you in association with Major.

1) Current place of work, position

I am currently the head chef at Losehill House and Spa in Hope.

2) What is your cooking style and what should people expect from your food?

I would say my style is modern British with a twist. I think that classic flavour combinations are classic because they work, so we base our dishes on them and give them a modern take. We take influence from all cuisines though - for example, we use a Chinese style soy brine to marinade our duck which brings a completely different flavour to it but without being overpowering.

3) What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

My favourite dishes to cook is a tough question - there’s so many. With a daily changing menu, we work closely with our suppliers to get the best freshest possible ingredients and try to utilise all of whatever we use so there’s as little waste as possible. That being said I don’t think there’s anything better than getting a nice fillet in a pan with garlic, thyme and loads and loads of foamy butter.

4) Name a food item/dish/ingredient that isn't considered "cheffy" but that you love to eat

Sandwiches! I love sandwiches and working in busy kitchens you tend to find yourself needing something quick and sandwiches are perfect. There’s also nothing that can’t go in between two bits of bread!

5) What do you like about The Staff Canteen app and website?

The Staff Canteen app is great to help chefs of all levels connect, network and share their dishes. From dishes to tips and articles it helps people to promote themselves and businesses and also contains many interesting reads about the industry as a whole and current trends.

6) What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are to keep pushing forward and improve everyday. My team and myself have an exciting year ahead and with a daily changing ala carte menu we are constantly developing which in itself makes the day to day running of the kitchen very exciting. My own restaurant will also be a big part of my future when the time is right.

7) Are you working on any exciting dishes now that spring is round the corner? 

My favourite dish on our current menu is one of our desserts. It's the dark chocolate and banana ice cream sandwich, hazelnuts, toffee, caramelised banana, chocolate sorbet. It’s a favourite because I personally love banoffee pie and have tried to rework it and modernise it for the menu for a while and I am finally happy with the end product.