Where do you work?
I'm chef patron of Browns Bonds Hill Collection, including Ardtara Country House in Upperlands and Browns Bonds Hill and Browns in Town in Derry/Londonderry. We’re about to open another fine-dining restaurant in Portstewart.
Are you calm in the kitchen?
Very much so, especially since becoming a dad. I'm fortunate to have a great team working with me, so there’s no need to be cantankerous.
When did you start cooking?
When I was 15 I had a part time job in a chip van at Benone beach. I’m pleased to say my skills have come a long way since then.
What fires you up about food?
I love cooking with local produce, I enjoy the buzz of the kitchen and love the banter with my team. What fires me up most is getting amazing feedback from diners – that keeps us all enthused.
What’s been cooking lately?
I’m experimenting with first of the season Champagne rhubarb and we’re working on some amazing new vegan dishes. We’ve earned a bit of a reputation for our vegan tasting menu at Bonds Hill.
Your signature dish is…
Turf smoked beef is a hugely popular starter at Browns Bonds Hill, and of course our ‘Legenderry’ Guinness bread is a staple.
Your favourite thing to eat is…
I love a juicy medium-rare rib-eye steak (with a nice bit of fat in there) served with crispy chips and béarnaise sauce.
What chef inspires you most?
My ex-bosses Robbie Millar from Shanks and Rose Gray from the River Café in London – I learned my trade from them and I will always be grateful.
This week, we are going to make…
Turf smoked lamb with whiskey sauce
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 square cut lamb rumps; 100ml buttermilk; 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed; 1 sprig rosemary, roughly chopped; 1 sprig thyme, roughly chopped; 1 lemon; 70ml whiskey; 1 tsp honey; 1 knob of butter; turf (small piece, lit) in a tin/box
Method:
Place the lamb rump in a sealable bag or in a covered dish. Add the buttermilk, herbs and some cracked black pepper and marinate in fridge for at least two hours. Then, in a hot pan, brown the meat, before placing in a preheated oven at 180C. After 10 minutes, take out of oven to rest. Then place in a tin/box with the lit turf and smoke for 1 minute. For the whiskey sauce, keep the pan that the lamb rumps where cooked in on the heat, add the whiskey and honey, then reduce by half. Mix in the butter and strain before serving with the lamb.
