In conversation with Peter Howarth…
We caught up with Peter to get to know more about the new Burlington Head Chef; read on for a handy kitchen cheat and to find out more about Peter's return to the Burlington.
Q. What excites you most about returning to the Burlington Restaurant at The Devonshire Arms?
A. When I previously worked at The Devonshire Arms, I loved working in such an inspirational area, with the Bolton Abbey Estate on our doorstep. I have kept in touch with most people I worked with previously and the local suppliers, and look forward to working with them again and making the most of the produce from the area.
Q. What has been the biggest influence on the way you cook and why?
A. Travelling to different countries is always an education for me, discovering new ingredients and cultures is a great way to learn.
Q. What is your favourite current food trend?
A. I love cooking with Asian flavours and styles. Asian cooking creates fresh and flavoursome dishes which are always a hit on the menu.
Q. What is your current favourite experimental ingredient or cooking technique?
A. I love cooking with seaweed at the moment. It’s a really interesting component to add texture and flavour whether steamed, deep-fried, blanched or dried.
Q. Which other chefs do you most admire?
I admire Gordon Ramsay greatly for all he has achieved and contributed to the industry. Closer to home I admire my former colleague Michael Wignall (Chef Patron, The Angel at Hetton) for his constant drive and commitment. I am delighted to be partnering with Michael to create ‘Yorkshire’s Finest Dining Experience’, a two-night dinner, bed and breakfast package in partnership with The Angel at Hetton.
Q. What is your favourite aspect of your job?
A. I am passionate about the development of my team in order to continue the success of The Burlington, in particular nurturing young local talent. I also love developing menus and experimenting with new techniques.
Q. What is your favourite kitchen tip or piece of equipment?
A. Open tins from the bottom! There is an air vacuum at the top of cans, so opening from the bottom and sliding a flat edge of the knife up the side will release the vacuum and mean the contents come out easily.
Q. Do you have any advice for budding young chefs?
A. Test the water and keep an open mind, if you like the job then take on as much responsibility as possible and always keep learning.
Q. What is your guilty food pleasure?
A. Noodles, Dan Dan are my favourite!
Q. What are you most looking forward to growing in our kitchen garden?
A. Root veg for the restaurant, I would like to see what a Devonshire potato tastes like, also would be nice to grow fresh flowers for our rooms.
Q. What are your favourite Yorkshire ingredients?
A. Yorkshire Rhubarb is my all-time favourite ingredient, it’s so versatile and complex also Yorkshire ducks and local game are fantastic.
Q. How important is sustainability to you?
A. Very important. There are so many good ingredients around these days, it’s up to us chefs to find sustainable and quality alternatives. Reducing food miles and food waste is a high priority for me, so we aim to take advantage of all of the ingredients available from the Bolton Abbey Estate and county as a whole.
You can view Peter's sample menus on The Burlington Restaurant page.