Here at The Staff Canteen, we felt it would be a great idea to show our appreciation to our loyal users, so to honour this we will be featuring a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is Sean Kelly.
As a member who regularly contributes to our site via the app Chef+, Sean will receive a copy of Deep South by Brad McDonald, a goodie bundle from our appsponsors Essential Cuisine and The Staff Canteen mug.
Smoked Haddock Pear, Parsley Juice
by Sean Kelly
Current place of work, position and a brief overview of where you have worked before.
I’m currently at The Lovat, Loch Ness. My position is head chef/director of our Brasserie & 3 AA Rosette restaurant, Station Road. Previously I worked at The Bell Inn in Horndon on the Hill, before moving to France and working in several Michelin-starred restaurants - Le Drouant and La Table De Baltimore to name a few. I stayed in France for almost six years before moving to Scotland, where I have been for the last nine years.
What is your cooking style and what can people expect from the food on your menu?
I get asked to describe my style quite a lot but always find it’s a difficult question to answer. I would describe it as simple and uncomplicated! I use as many Scottish ingredients as I can, but I’m equally inspired by ingredients from the rest of the world as well. I like my plates to be neat and tidy - I’m not a big fan of powders dusted everywhere - and I think that shows in my food pics. I think returning guests at the restaurant expect to be surprised, as they know what they see, isn’t always exactly what they get!
What do you like about The Staff Canteen app and website?
It’s great to keep up to date with what’s going on and there’s easy access to information about the industry. What I really like is the fact that it isn’t solely about what chefs are doing in the UK, but also around the world. There are so many amazing chefs globally that I find really inspiring, and it’s thanks to websites like The Staff Canteen that we get to hear about them. Although I would visit the website often to read articles, get recipes etc, I was a late starter using the app as I’m not great with technology. But since I have my phone with me all the time, the app makes it very easy to look up recipes, follow other chefs, post pictures, leave comments, get advice and ask questions etc. If you are in the industry, it’s a great source of information and not just for chefs!
'Banana Split'
What is your favourite dish to cook?
I love to spend some of my time in the pastry section. It’s an area where you can be very creative! As my desserts are normally a bit playful, I have a lot of fun with pastry but what I really like cooking are the ‘cheaper’ cuts of meat: cheeks, heads, tails etc. It’s not long now until the grouse season, which is probably my favourite of all meats. My current favourite dish to send out is our take on a banana split.
Guilty pleasure: list food item / dish / ingredient that aren’t considered ‘cheffy’ but you love to eat
Unfortunately, I have a lot of guilty pleasures! Haggis crisps, cheese and onion toasties and whisky -but maybe that’s an average chefs diet!
What are your plans for the future?
We currently have 3 AA Rosettes (for Station Road) and it would be great to get the fourth, but serving two dining areas from one kitchen with quite a small team is a big ask! We have been toying with the idea of relocating Station Road as a stand-alone restaurant in a different part of the country, but it’s just an idea at the moment. So, the plan at the moment is to carry on and hopefully improve on what we are doing.
Do you want to be the next Member of the Month? Download the app now for free and start sharing your images, videos and recipes and interacting with other members to be in with a chance of winning!
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