30 Years of Cold Coffee

Matt Weedon

Description

30 years of cold coffee
A life in professional cooking.
The coffee is always cold, why?
Because we’re always too bloody busy to drink it!! But you need it.
Gotta get going, could be in the shit here. Sooooo much to do!!
Where to start?
Longest jobs on first!
Got 40 for lunch and a ton of work on.
Get going Weedon and move your fucking arse.
That’s basically been it for 5/6/7 days a week for the last 30 years.
Nothing comes close to working in this industry, but fuck me it’s hard, both mentally and physically.
Is it worth the commitment?
Absolutely 100%.
You can spend 15-18 hours a day in a stainless steel hot box without windows, grabbing a bite to eat while your working and fighting to get a break on your split shift.
But it’s the magic that happens inside the box that’s addictive.
New tekkers, ingredients, recipes and skills are acquired and the hard yards are trodden here.
Your essentially ticking off dishes, cooking techniques and experiencing scenarios on your way to running your own kitchen.
Coffee has been a must.
Cold or hot?
Mostly cold… for 30 years.

Sujets

• Cuisine
• Cuisine santé
• Cooking
• Chefs
• Restaurants

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris UK
• Date de parution: 24 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664118379
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

30 YEARS OF COLD COFFEE
 
Reflections and Recipes of a Working Chef
 
 
MATT WEEDON
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“To me there’s no great Chef without a great team.”
 
— Daniel Boulud

 
Copyright © 2022 by Matt Weedon. 826378
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
 
Xlibris
UK TFN: 0800 0148620 (Toll Free inside the UK)
UK Local: 02 0369 56328 ([phone] from outside the UK)
www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk
 
 
ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-6641-1835-5
 
Hardcover
978-1-6641-1836-2
 
EBook
978-1-6641-1837-9
 
Library of Congress Control Number:     2022917818
 
 
 
Rev. date: 06/28/2023

Contents
About the author
Introduction
30 years of cold coffee….explained
Testimonials
Cocktails & canapés
Bread
Starters
Fish & Shellfish
Meat
Desserts
Plant Based Dishes
Sunday Lunch!!
Pizza
Dirty
The Feathered Nest
Suppliers
Mental health
The Burnt Chef Project
Advice to young cooks
Inspiration
Kitchen finance
Big Thank You’s
A massive thanks to the hospitality warriors that have worked with me.
Family
Farm
About the author
Matt Weedon.
Cut from a pretty tenacious cloth, this Bucks boy was born with a great work ethic.
Grandparents that lived through the Second World War with Grandfather fighting as a tank radio operator for Monty’s 8th Army in North Africa.
Parents that grafted hard all their working lives in printing and hospitality.
So It’s safe to say that Weedon Jr was going to achieve something in his chosen field!
A pretty driven but humble kind of guy, began at the bottom of the pile in terms of what to do after leaving school.
Found hospitality, got the bug, worked hard, listened, messed about a lot!
Absorbed, kept working in some great kitchens and amazing places, then finally ran his own.
He has always tried to balance teaching young chefs in order to give something back to the industry, with delivering consistent quality on each plate.
He’s made some great choices along the way and some pretty rubbish ones.
Picked up some decent accolades and received some great reviews culminating in Michelin Stars awarded at The Lords of the Manor in the Cotswolds and Glenapp Castle in South West Scotland.
Weedon has held a Michelin star for an 8 year period of his career, reached 6/10 in The Good Food Guide and been awarded 3 AA Rosettes for over two decades.
In Scotland, The Herald’s Ron McKenna hailed his meal as a class act and awarded 26/30 which put Glenapp in his top 3 meals at the time.
Awards aside, the focus has always remained true to striving for the best results on the plate regardless of the obstacles, purely for the customer.
Only achievable with strong teams both back and front of house.
That’s his philosophy.
It has always been about the customer and the food, never himself.
As for the coffee? The quality has gotten better these days but it still remains cold, sitting in a cup on the bench while the man runs around like a nutter getting through his list of jobs.
And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon!
30 years of cold coffee.
It’s taken a lifetime to write!
Here’s to the next 30 chef!!

Introduction
I started writing this book more than a decade ago (originally titled 20years of cold coffee!!)
But here we are in September 2022 and at last!! It’s finished!
I wanted to do something positive during the 2020/21 lockdowns
 
Why?
To document the last 30 years of cooking and put down on paper the content of all those recipe boxes, folders and in particular the ridiculously tatty 30 year old bloody A5 black n red indexed recipe book that’s held together with duct tape!
 
Now I’m no Heston Blumenthal or Gordon Ramsay, not even close!!
 
 
I’m no mover or shaker in the culinary world, but I love my work and this is it in a book.
 
The recipes all work if followed correctly, Photography has been done literally from the pass on an iPhone and this is a self-published book with Xlibris who have been fantastic.
 
Yes, there will be other books coming out as this has been an enjoyable experience for me.
Add to the fact that there’s a million more recipes to share so a couple of pastry books are on the horizon!
 
So if you read this and it makes you smile, laugh or inspires one person to take up cooking for a living then I am extremely humbled and grateful.
 
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
 
Matt Weedon
30 years of cold coffee….explained
A life in professional cooking.
 
The coffee is always cold. Why?
Because I’m always too bloody busy to drink it!!
But i need it, I’m up against it again.
 
Gotta get going, could be in the shit here. Sooooo much to do!!
Where to start?
Longest jobs on first! Then we`ll have a chance of making it for lunch service.
Got 40 for lunch another 40 for dinner and a ton of work on.
Get going Weedon and move your fucking arse.
 
That’s basically been it for 5/6/7 days a week for the last 30 years.
 
Nothing comes close to working in this industry, but fuck me it’s hard, both mentally and physically.
Is it worth the commitment?
Absolutely 100%.
 
You can spend 15-18 hours a day in a stainless steel hot box (kitchen) without windows, grabbing a bite to eat while your working and fighting to get a break on your split shift.
But it’s the magic that happens inside the box that’s addictive.
New tekkers, ingredients, recipes and skills are acquired and the hard yards are trodden here.
Your essentially ticking off dishes, cooking techniques and experiencing scenarios on your way to running your own kitchen.
 
Coffee has been a must.
Cold or hot?
Mostly cold… for 30 years.
 














TESTIMONIALS

 
Steve Harris - Chef proprietor
The Chequers Inn, Rookley.
The White Lion, Niton.
The Birdham, Bembridge.
 
I worked for Matt as Senior Sous Chef at The Lords of the Manor Hotel for four years.
I walked into that kitchen as someone that enjoyed their cooking and left with a burning passion for food.
Matt is not just a very good cook but is someone that likes to teach the younger chefs the tricks of the trade.
As a young chef I found him inspiring, professional, hardworking and very funny to work with.
I’m sure I wouldn’t be the Chef/person I am today if I hadn’t spent four years as his Sous Chef.
Having worked in and run kitchens of my own since working for Matt I often look back and realise how lucky I was to do so.
 
Congrats on the book Chef.
Steve.

 
Mark Potts - Buckland Manor
 
I first met Matt when he was the Head Chef at The Lords of the Manor. The first thing that struck me was Matt’s passion and obsession with food. To constantly question what we do and try to improve was something he instilled in me and the team of chefs. Running a Michelin starred kitchen is such high pressure but Matt did it with with such respect for his team.
 
Since then we have shared many good meals together where the talk is equal about food and football!
 
Over the years when I have needed help and advice in my career Matt always helps me with honest advice. I have a lot to thank him for and I am really pleased to call him a very good friend.
 
I am really looking forward to this book as it will document the career of a brilliant chef.
 
Thanks Chef! - Pottsy.

 
Andy Beynon - Behind
 
Matt Weedon is the most inspirational Chef I have worked for. Not only has he helped me become the Chef and person I am today he is also a great friend still and someone I know will be there for advice to help me along my journey.
 
A true genuine person and someone that will give you as much as you give him.
 
One of my best memories was during a trip to a 2 star restaurant for lunch in London
(where I eventually ended up working in later on in my career)
We went for lunch and Matt saw the look on my face when the bill arrived and knew I couldn’t afford it so he paid it for me. Love you bro! I owe you a couple of meals at my place!
 
Thank you for getting me to where I am today Matt x
 
Andy

 
Frédéric Morel - Chef Proprietor Restaurant Coeur D’Artichaut
Alter Fischmarkt, Munster, Germany.
 
It was my second kitchen job with Matt at The Lords of the Manor and straight away I had the feeling I was in the right place.
Matt was the Chef that introduced me to fine dining and Michelin starred cuisine.
A few months after I started we were awarded a Michelin star, what a feeling!!
Since that day I have always wanted my own.
I learned a lot with him. The techniques, the taste, the plating of course, but also how to be an excellent Head Chef. He was always there, always had time