Monday, July 18, 2005

I can't buy a single English apple!

Monday 18th July 2005:

This morning whilst shopping at Sainsbury’s I tried to make a conscious decision to buy only British fresh fruit. I chose some loose fresh cherries, only to discover that they were I fact from Turkey. I returned them and decided to choose a small pack of English cherries from Kent. Trying to find an English apple proved far more difficult. I couldn’t believe that it was in fact impossible to buy a British eating apple in the middle of summer. The only English variety available was a Bramley apple- Golden Delicious from South Africa, Fiji from China, Braeburn from New Zealand. Eventually I had to settle for a small rustic looking eater from Holland. Of cause bananas came from Costa Rica, but you cannot have everything, can you?

The cleaner was actually scrubbing the pavement!

Sunday 17th July 2005:

Today, we only had a few of us in the prep kitchen during the morning. Every morning the restaurant is cleaned by a professional contract company. This morning, I even watched one of them mopping the pavement outside the restaurant. I would understand if it was marble, tiles or stone, but is it is just your average balck tarmac and it was being srupilously cleaned. Another sign of the prestige of this establishment. After our lunch, one of the stagieres helped me with the last few tasks, before he returned to the main kitchen to observe restaurant service and I could finish early for the day at about 1PM. At last an actual half-day.

When I left there was quite a lot of renovation going on in the house. The main stairway and landings are being re-carpeted, as well as a floor for the new chocolate room up-stairs (attached to the lab). On monad, the prep kitchen and fruit & veg. stores will be fitted with new air conditioning units as well. This is an area that is impressive- Heston is continually re-investing and putting money back in to his successful business.

I drive home and fell a sleep watching the television. About an hour later I woke up and was so disorientated that I couldn’t even remember for a few moments what day it was.

Later in the early evening I drove out to the small riverside village of Cookham and discovered a trendy little pub/restaurant called, ‘The Ferry’. I’m going to write more about this place later, but I automatically thought that it had successfully created the kind of atmosphere I would like in my own restaurant. Young, fresh and stylish.

So, you want to be a Chef?

Thursday 14th July 2005:

This morning, I awoke to my alarm on time, but soon fell back to sleep and woke up again to find that my slot in the bathroom had been lost. I washed quickly, but didn’t have time to shave and boy did I get it when I got to work. The Head Chef asked me this morning, ‘Michael, have you lost something today?’. The Sous Chef endlessly remarked about it every time he saw me, asking, ‘Do you want to be a Chef?’. My response was, ‘Are you saying I’m not a chef?’. To which he responded, ‘Do you want to be a good chef?’. I was quickly running out of ammunition.

Despite, my slightly dishevelled appearance the day went well. I was assigned to the pastry section and spent most of the morning preparing ice cream mixes- cracking dozens of eggs and weighing out ingredients. The afternoon and early evening was spent doing similar things- to be honest, nothing very interesting to tell you.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

The following short discussion is the first of a series of articles I am writing about some of my experiences at the Fat Duck and my personal research into this exciting area of food. So far, I have one other such article completed, which is about 800 words long. This will be the first paper to be presented on my new domain site next week- entitled, 'A Matter of Taste?'.
Please note- that this web site in no way reflects the opinion of Heston Blumenthal or the Fat Duck Ltd. It is not an approved or official site and is not associated with the Fat Duck.


‘Gastronomic Alchemy- understanding Molecular Gastronomy’

It has occurred to me lately that I may have been a little too critical of Heston’s work in my last few entries. Earlier today Heston and I discussed briefly ways that I could learn more whilst I am here. One thing that we talked about made me think- we decided that I should definitely ask more questions about why we do certain things, because there are reasons behind everything. Whilst I still do not think that this sort of food is the style I would choose to adopt, it is masterfully carried out and there are many techniques and methods that I could apply. I thought that during this posting I would discuss further some of the key principles behind some of Heston’s work.

Firstly, it should be realized straight-away that despite Heston’s extensive scientific research, he insists that he remains first and foremost a chef, who cooks food. Of cause beyond this statement we can see clearly that Heston is not just any chef and he is even more than just one of the world’s best chefs. He is a chef heavily engaged in the pursuit of understanding what happens to food when we prepare it and with this increased knowledge about the chemical composition and structure of certain ingredients, he is making ground breaking developments.

The Royal Society of Chemistry said in an official statement in April that, “We are delighted with Heston’s success. His work at the Fat Duck using scientific principles to create new and exciting combinations of flavour and taste has raised the awareness of ‘molecular gastronomy’ in the UK. Heston’s curiosity to investigate the fundamental processes behind cooking and thereby push the boundaries of the culinary art is an inspiration..”.

This quotation triggers several other thoughts- but to discuss them all now would become a distraction to this present idea about ‘molecular gastronomy’. I will briefly mention them now though to remind us to return to them later-

Firstly, Heston is creating new and exciting combinations of flavour and taste, (What new combinations have been created and how many of these have been successfully implemented in to the Fat Duck’s menu?)
Secondly, This idea of cooking as an art-form (In what ways is cooking an art form and how does it compare with other arts such as painting, music or literature?).

Many think that ‘molecular gastronomy’ is little more than a fictional buzz- word. But it is much more than that. In many ways is not really anything new. After all molecular gastronomy is (in part) simply investigating the scientific processes that go on with food. For example, we have been roasting meats for hundreds of years, molecular gastronomy has looked at cooking times of meats and told us that by checking the temperature of the core of the joint of meat whilst cooking we can more accurately control how long it should be cooked for. Domestic recipes often increase the cooking time depending simply on the weight of the joint, but commercially this is unhelpful, particulary with large pieces of meat and can result in the meat being over-cooked. So we see, that ‘molecular gastronomy’ is helping us not only create new flavours and combinations, but is also dismissing old wives tales and helping us perfect more traditional cooking methods.

We should not think that Heston is the first to become interested in the science behind cooking and by no means is he the creator of molecular gastronomy. He would be the first to admit this himself, however, he should be credited with the title of ‘pioneer’ and is leading the application of academic theories here in the UK.

We will return to this discussion about molecular gastronomy soon and don’t forget to remind me to chat more about- new combinations of flavour and cooking as an art.
Next- 'Molecular Gastronomy- A Matter of Taste?'

Flower Power!

The couple I am lodging with in Maidenhead have an impressive garden with some beautiful flowers and the other evening I decided to take a few pictures using my digital camera. I am very pleased with the results and thought that I would enjoy sharing them with you. They also may add some colour to the blog. Unfortunately, we are discouraged to take photos at the Fat Duck.



Below is a view on the near-by River Thames...


To me, these photographs, whilst not professional by any means, reflect a little of the beauty of nature and the magnifacent landscapes that surround us. I was really pleased with the flowers in my land lady's garden, notice the little drops of water collecting on the petals and the vibrant colours. The river scene, despite the poor light, has come out quite well, with the passig boat and the ripples of the current. The final image is (I think) a globe artichoke? The artichoke is possibly my favourite, pobably beacuse of its sheer simplicity.

Exciting news!

I am pleased to tell you that I have just registered my own new personal domain and very soon there will be a new face to 'The Little Chef'. Surprisingly, this was actually not very expensive to do. The process takes a little while to register, but there should be a new official site for Michael Little on-line withinthe next week. However, this blog will continue to be present at the current address-
www.thelittlechef.blogspot.com

The reason for creating a new site is that I have decided to make further information available on-line, including several papers I have recently authored as part of my course with Hastings College of Arts & Technology. I have also begun to write several lengthy pieces about my experience at the Fat Duck which are difficult to post using this facility and may distract from the purpose of this journal.

I still encourage you to follow this site as well as the new one, if you are interested in folowing my daily activities at the Fat Duck and the Birmingham College of Food (BCFTCS).

Details of the new site will be anounced as soon as posible.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

The Dali of Gastronomy?

Friday 8th July 2005:

Heston Blumenthal has been called recently the Dali of gastronomy and the Frankenstein of food. The Salvador Dali reference seems more favourable than the other analogy. Heston certainly is creating masterpieces of unique style. However, there is a price. I not only refer here to the monetary value of dining at the Fat Duck, but the preparation and ingredients involved. You could not find a more contrasting restaurant tot eh ethos of Raymond Blanc anywhere, despite Blumenthal’s frequent reference to Blanc’s influence.

This week, I began to note the source of many of our ingredients- I note only a few which included, fresh almonds from Spain, Braeburn apples from New Zealand, pigeons from France and fresh asparagus from Peru! It seems unfortunate that so much of the produce used here, which is of a superb quality, is often imported from all over the globe. I recently authored a paper on obesity and part of this study recognised the removal of seasonality in foods, particularly due to the increased use of imports. This forces greater pressure of local farmers and agriculture, as well as other more complicated implications, including public health. Blumenthal is offering an amazing array of dishes, using some of the very best ingredients, but very few of these are native to British soils. This seems a terrible shame, added by the Fat Duck’s location in an idealic English village setting. Later, I will continue to discuss this topic, as I have yet made no mention to the artificial flavourings and chemicals, Blumenthal incorporates in to many of his dishes.

What I should make clear here, is that many of these ingredients are also naturally present, they are artificial, in the sense that they have been researched, studied and re-created by human efforts. By chemicals, I am not referring to pesticides or harmful substances (athough this may be debated), rather I am making reference to various powders and solutions that are used in the cooking or preparation process.
Wednesday 6th July 2005:

The restaurant is always closed all day on Mondays, so yesterday was our first working day of the week.

Today, was spent in the preparation kitchen, mostly preparing ingredients for the pastry section, including ice-cream mixes, vanilla sticks and rose petals. I also helped a few of the other sections prepare certain ingredients.

When using the impressive oven up-stairs in Heston’s lab, I took a peek at his book shelf. Titles included several books on ice-creams, chocolate and academic texts about taste and perceptions of flavour. I also met Chris Young, an American, who is employed as the Fat Duck’s Food Research Manager.

After work, we strolled down the High Street to discover Bray’s second pub, The Crown at Bray. As you bend your head to enter through the front door, you almost travel in time. The main part of the pub is dark, but cosy, with plenty of traditional features, including oak tables, elaborately furnished chairs and beautiful dark stained beams. A walk outside through a small door beside the bar, takes you out in to a back yard with picnic benches and beyond this, opens up an entire field of beer gardens with further seating.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Never say never!

Day Three: Sunday 3rd July 2005
Never say Never!

This morning, we met for a weekly kitchen meeting in the back-yard at 7:40AM. Today, I worked in the main kitchen at the Fat Duck site and was able to observe actual service. I helped on the mis-en-place section, preparing dishes like oysters, sardines on toast sorbet and mustard iced cream. As well as preparing some of the basic dishes, I also ran the finished plates to the waiter’s area. It was great to be able to be so close to the action.

'close to the action'

The Head Chef was off work today and Heston was directly in charge of the kichen. He was also often asked to sign menus and books by guests at the restaurant. Despite having seen him in passing over the last couple of days, today was the first time I met him personally. My first impression was that he seemed much smaller than I had imagined. Not small, but just an average man’s height. We shook hands and he asked me a few general questions, expressing a genuine interest. Every one he spoke to, he seemed to have an instant rapor with, probaby helped by the way that his audience naturally seems to admire or respect him.

Heston is currently working on a new idea to serve his scrambled egg and bacon iced-cream. I don’t want to give away too much, until he does it, for two reasons- firstly, because, I don’t want to give away his idea and secondly, because I am concerned that by telling publicly how something is done, part of the magic is lost. A magician never reveals how his tricks are actually created and Heston is a culinary magician in every sense of the idea. But, something that I overheard Heston say was interesting- he remarked confidently, ‘In 10 years, we have never said that something that something couldn’t e done…Never say never!’ This philosophy is reflected in so much of what Heston and his team create. Almost every dish requires hours of careful, meticulous, precise preparation. Most people might never think of the idea, many who do think of it will decide that it simply cannot done- because it requires too much, but Heston is not like most people. Much of his initial success must be owed to the fact that he pushes boundaries in a unique and imaginary way and is prepared to do what ever it takes to achieve the finished result.

Another Day

Day Two: Saturday 2nd July 2005
Another Day
Another busy day today- I was assigned to help on the pastry section in the prep. Kitchen. Surprisingly, this meant more preparation of vegetables. I helped to prepare butternut ice-cream, chocolate sorbet and parsnip milk & flakes. The butternut squash iced cream is a good one. After all, if you can have pumpkin pie as a sweet, why not have an ice-cream also made from a squash. The squash is pureed and added to a basic custard, using milk powder, instead of fresh milk, to help stabilise the mix. I wonder if you could try this with swede, pumpkin and other kinds of squash or subtle vegetables?

The parsnip milk and flakes, is an incredibly fascinating idea and probably only one Heston could think of! Baby parsnips are peeled and very thinly sliced, before being soaked in a sugar stock; drained and then carefully laid out on a baking sheet covered with greased proof paper. These slices are then slowly dried in an electric dehydrator, but I should think that you could use a very low oven. The flakes are then added to a parsnip infused milk. This course becomes a variation of breakfast cereal on the degustation/ taster menu.

Today, I was asked to go up stairs to the ‘lab’, to find a ruler and humbly entered Heston’s own kitchen. The lab is the same room I had seen from a distance through the window yesterday. Heston’s domain was, just as I had imagined it. Full of complicated looking apparatus and equipment. Everything was immaculately clean and nothing was left put of place. There was what seemed to be a huge microscope in one corner and several other large pieces of equipment. I sneaked around quickly as I looked for the ruler, like a young child trespassing before they get caught. As I left the laboratory, I noticed a large book case, by the door, which included Heston’s own book and a large hardback entitled, ‘Flavourings’.

Day One!

Day One: Friday 1st July 2005:
The Story begins...

This morning, I awoke early at 4:00AM. It was already beginning to grow light and I found it hard to get back to sleep. I dozed on and off, until about 6:30 AM when I staggered out of bed, feeling a little worst for ware.

'we get changed in a garden shed'

I left the house at 7:30 AM and arrived in Bray by about 7:45. There were only a couple of chefs already there and I waited for a few minutes until some one else arrived. The main kitchen is as small as I had envisaged. The whole building is not particularly big and even the tables in the restaurant it self seem a little close together. This impression is possibly increased by the low beamed ceilings and dark windows which make the room seem even smaller. At the back of the restaurant is an area for the wine bins, coffee machine, electronic till and the entrance to the kitchen/ wash up area. Beyond this is a door to the back yard, which contains about 6 wooden garden sheds. These sheds are used for storage and the furthest shed away from the restaurant is even used as a changing room. I don’t think I have ever worked any where, that used a shed to get changed in.
I spent the whole day working in the preparation kitchen. This kitchen is situated across the road from the restaurant, at the end of a short drive off the main road. This two storey building has two kitchens and a large storage area with chest freezers and walk in fridge. About 7 of us worked together in the one kitchen downstairs. Space was very limited with this many people and at times there were 4 people working to one small bench. This area only just allowed 4 chopping boards to fit on the surface next to each other, with about a couple of inches in between.

‘every thing has to be perfect’

I was kept fairly busy all day- preparing certain ingredients for other dishes. This included chopping vegetables, preparing pancetta and duck foie gras. I am always frustrated by my poor knife skills. The quality of preparation has to be perfect. For example, I was asked to re-dice some carrots, which had to be about 1 mm square each. Each piece had to be roughly the same size and had to be square. OK- may be that sounds obvious, but when you had to prepare carrots, celeriac and button mushrooms to the same specification, you may begin to appreciate the challenge. After all how many mushrooms and carrots are square? I am also always surprised working in these kinds of places, by the huge amounts of waste. I watched another chef prepping some beautifully fresh spring onions with about 2 feet of green shoots above the bulbs. The restaurant only required the bulb and about 2 inches of the shoot. I watched everything else be thrown away. However, often trimmings and spare food are used, especially for staff meals.


We stopped briefly for lunch at about 11AM and then continued with various tasks during the afternoon, until another brief break for dinner. As I walked back to our kitchen, I noticed the kitchen above ours on the first floor of the building. I think this room is used mainly by Heston and through the window I could just make out a row of clear glass conical flasks and other scientific looking apparatus.

By about 8PM we were winding down, whilst at the Fat Duck, the main kitchen was only in the middle of service. One thing that also impressed me at Ramsay’s Boxwood is the high standard of cleanliness. It often reminds me of a hospital surgical room. Everything is stripped down, work surfaces were moved, even the skirting boards were scrubbed and stainless steel surfaces sanitised and polished. We finished just after 9PM, over 13 hours since I had first arrived for work. I was pleased with the day’s activities, but pretty tired.

Here at the FatDuck!

Well, my experience at the Fat Duck has now truly begun and what an experience it promises to become. I have plenty of information to download on to this site, as I intend to keep a daily record on my lap top which I can then put on line on my days off. Unfortunately, I am entering this at the public library, which has no facility to enable me to download the necessary files. I will try to access the internet at a local internet cafe later today, so that you can read more about what I have been up to.