Sat Bains, Michelin-starred Chef Proprietor, cookbook collector
The cookbook that has most influenced your cooking
White Heat by Marco Pierre White. Looking back on it now, it’s just a perfect snapshot of where British gastronomy was at that moment in time. Marco was the original ‘enfant terrible’ and the images of him and the food taken by Bob Carlos Clarke are just iconic
Most memorable food you ate in childhood
My Mum’s minced lamb Keemah with peas. Still love it
Your favourite food shop
Waitrose – spend ages in the place
Most memorable meal in film/literature/painting
All the dishes made by Remy the rat in Ratatouille
Your worst kitchen disaster
It was me. Was making a crème anglais in a Theromix and opened it up to taste. Turned the thing back on, forgetting to replace the lid and ended up with a circle of cream covering me, the chefs, the ceiling, walls and surfaces. I couldn’t have made any more mess if I’d tried – 3 minutes before service
The first thing you taught your children to cook/ or were taught yourself
Chicken Champignon. First complete thing I learned to cook at college and the first thing too I ever cooked for Amanda – way before we were married and were really young
What would you like your final meal to be?
A well aged ribeye steak, freshly made Bearnaise sauce, Heston’s original Triple Cooked Chips and a simple tomato and onion salad
What is your secret talent [in or out of the kitchen]?
Doodling. I love it and am very accomplished
What did you eat for breakfast today?
A green juice – broccoli, kale, celery, apple – that is before I got to work and hit the biscuits and tea and eggs and bacon…
Which seasonal food do you most look forward to?
Ceps. The smell and taste – raw or cooked. They’re just that smell and taste of autumn
Over-rated/ under-rated food/seasoning/gadget
Over rated for me is lobster and langoustine. I do like them but don’t get the hype
Under rated is game. All game. We don’t eat enough of the stuff here. Its so diverse and such a natural lean protein in season
Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, tel 0115 9866 566, restaurantsatbains.com
