Member of the month November 2019: Tom Hudson

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

• Read more interviews with previous Member of the Month chefs
• Follow Tom on The Staff Canteen for recipes and inspiration 

As a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen website via the Chef+ app, Tom will receive a copy of Signature Dishes That Matter and a mug from The Staff Canteen. 

Current place of work, position

I am the executive chef at Restaurant Hello Stranger, we are located in central Helsinki, Finland.

What is your cooking style and what should people expect from the food on your menu?

My cooking style is a mix of all the places I have worked or visited. But my main reasoning to head this restaurant here in Helsinki is to champion British food. I use a mix of local organic and biodynamic ingredients and showcase a mix of culinary techniques. I prefer to cook in a very simple and relaxed style often using north african spices in my cooking as I especially enjoy those flavours. I have lived and worked in Nordics  for nearly 10 years so my cooking style has been hugely influenced by "new nordic" cuisine.

What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

I enjoy cooking our Reindeer dish. Served with parsley root puree pickled blackberries, spruce sprout salt and brown butter roasted celeriac. It showcases foraged, preserved and local ingredients. Also the mix of blackberries and game meat as the reindeer filet is not typical here and finland and a much more british pairing with game. Everything that Hello Stranger is about.

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

A food item that is not considered cheffy  that I love to eat, absolutely is Lincolnshire Sausages. A big taste of home and nothing better for a morning on a Sunday after a big week in the kitchen.

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

Absolutely love using the fact that The Staff Canteen app allows all types of chefs to champion the food that they are proud of cooking. It also is a very supportive environment in which I ́ve had very encouraging feedback.

Finally, what are your plans for the future?

To work on improving the perception of British cuisine here in Finland.