Apprentice Sam Bowden.

It’s great to be back in the kitchen after the Christmas break.  The first weeks of this year have been fascinating, getting to grips with the new dishes on the new menus which introduced me to many different ideas and techniques.

First up was the garnish section (that’s vegetables) with Adam.  We started with a turnip gratin, an interesting and a concept as I’d always associated gratin with potatoes.  Having mastered some of the basic skills needed in making a gratin, we moved on to Pommes Anna – what’s a Pommes Anna?  Well, it’s a classic French potato side dish using thinly sliced potatoes and butter – delicious!

Adam has been really helpful these past few weeks, guiding me on what I am doing well and identifying where I need to improve.  I know now that on this section I need to improve my speed for Mise en Place and service also needs to be quicker.

A great first few weeks, roll on the next section……!

Sam.