This is the second in a series of regular blogs by executive chef of BaxterStorey and winner of the National Chef of the Year 2013, Hayden Groves.  Tonight Matthew, I am going to be a guest chef at L’Ortolan!

Another February and another message from Alan Murchison with yet again another challenge. This time it involved not sitting on a saddle and riding from London to Edinburgh in two days, (those of you that love reading about sadistic challenges) click here. 

“How does the new National Chef of the Year fancy doing his first guest chef evening here at L’Ortolan” as with previous challenges from Murch, he had me at hello. After a few weeks of diary ping pong the date was set Thursday 8th May, for one night only, all sounds very dramatic eh? Now to decide on a menu.  It’s a bit like trying to pick your favourite relatives for a soiree; you don’t want to miss any one however there has to be a limit.

As is my style, the food would be flavour-driven with simple ingredients cooked sympathetically so from a dining experience it had to be spot on as there was nowhere to hide. There would be no plumes of smoke, long ingredient lists or a remote control switch. I’ve seen some things in my 23 year culinary career but a 14 inch plastic and fabric witch with glowing red eyes and a frightening cackle as a centre piece was certainly a first for myself, fellow judges and salon director James Tanner at the live theatre at Hotelympia a couple of weeks earlier.

As this would be under the banner of National Chef of the Year, I chose to use and tweak dishes that had featured in some form throughout my previous competitions. The Thursday before Easter I went to meet the team, check out the equipment and visualise service. I know Alan well – yes far too many hours had we shared the same stretch of road talking nonsense! – it was the brigade that I wanted to meet. Tom the head chef and Charlotte the pastry chef in particular, they were the ones who were truly going to help deliver the food. When I entered the kitchen it was a nice relaxed group of young chefs, I must have brought the average age down to 26 and that’s with me being two months shy of 40. Fast forward to the Saturday before the event, prep lists, recipes and photos were emailed.

42 brave souls had booked the seven-course menu, with just one table of two short of a full restaurant, not bad for a rainy
Thursday evening out of town. Arriving at 8.30am after a two-and-a-half-hour battle with the M25 (the London orbital clearly won that round), a couple of hours of prep followed after almost suffering from caffeine overdose as double shot after double shot was handed to me out of courtesy by the front of house team; then it was clear down and set up after lunch service.

It was approaching 6.30pm and the first guests were arriving, show time! Canapés and aperitif were served in the large lounge and selected tables were brought through to the dining room.

For someone who has looked after corporate dining for a few years now it is almost common place for food to be considered as fuel or because business dictated that they should be offered some sustenance.  Yes we serve tasty plates but this is often overshadowed with requests of just a two-course, in 30 minutes or choosing not to order off our ever-changing a lacarte menu and have a simple smoked salmon salad, I know about giving the customer what they want.