Which three ingredients are always in your fridge at home?
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
I’ve loved it since my time working as a chef in Rome. It goes with just about anything, as well as being a great aperitif snack on its own.
Baby spinach
I always have this on hand to add to pasta or garlic soup for added vitamins for the kids. We’ve also managed to convince our sons it’s not salad so it can be used in roast chicken salad with red onion dressing.
Pickled garlic
We always have old mustard jars filled with pickled garlic in the fridge that we thinly slice and cook with either steak, fish or greens to add flavour. It’s also a good remedy for colds, but you have to be brave enough to eat it raw!
What’s your guilty midnight snack?
At the moment I often finish late at the restaurant so a midnight snack is a regular meal for me. Cheese toasties with Worcestershire sauce is my current favourite.
Which piece of kitchen kit couldn’t you do without?
Sharp knives are a must as all kitchen work is so hard without them. However, as equipment goes, my Vitamix blender is regularly used for fresh soups, dips and salsas. I love how it can make fresh tomato soup from the raw ingredients in 6 minutes.
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?
When I lived in Sweden I loved all the food, especially the traditional pickled herrings. Surströmming (sour herrings) on the other hand I cannot stand!
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
I’ve always enjoyed meat and fruit dishes and at the moment I’m loving pork and pineapple. Our Head Chef Bobby has braised pork and pineapple kebabs with Romesco sauce on the menu at Bank House - it’s so unusual but absolutely delicious!
Stuart is the owner of Bank House in Chiselhurst, Kent bankhousechislehurst.com
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