A couple of weeks ago Lorna and I had the pleasure of meeting Head Chef Dominic Teague at One Aldwych hotel at a wonderful afternoon tea masterclass at the hotel. Chef Dominic begun his career in food as an apprentice at the Lanesborough Hotel, moving to several different restaurants around the world before starting at Marco Pierre White's L'Escargot in 2000. Here is held several different positions, including Executive Chef. Dominic has also been Head Chef at Andaz Hotels by Hyatt and has led the kitchen at the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados.
Chef Dominic joined One Aldwych in June 2012. It was brilliant to spend a morning with Dominic, who was friendly and very reassuring as he led the group through several classic afternoon tea recipes.
 |
| Chef Dominic Teague Photo from One Aldwych Website |
During the times when we weren't concentrating in the kitchen, Dominic chatted happily with the group, telling us about his career and the popularity of the afternoon tea at One Aldwych.
Dominic is responsible for the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired afternoon tea that was launched at One Aldwych last year. The tea has been incredibly popular and each week the Lobby Bar is full of people sampling golden eggs and scrummy candy floss. Tea With Me and Friends enjoyed this fab tea last summer, take a peek here to see what we enjoyed!
 |
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea One Aldwych |
Dominic admitted to sampling a couple of different afternoon teas in London before launching the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired tea, he went been back to The Lanesborough for their afternoon tea and also indulged in a Pret a Portea at The Berkeley. He is a strong believer that an afternoon tea must look good, but also taste good too - no style over substance here!
Chef Dominic carefully sources the foods that appear on all the menus at One Aldwych, and this includes items that are foraged especially for the hotel. His food philosophy is simple - he just wants to include the best ingredients when cooking. This was very evident when he was talking us through the afternoon tea recipes, stressing the importance of using fresh, good quality ingredients to get the best results.
 |
| Chef Dominic at work in his kitchen! |
We also discovered that he has a bit of a sweet tooth - in fact his favourite part of afternoon tea is the sweets at the end! He is also rather partial to a bit of frangipane and always likes to try and incorporate it on his pudding menus.
Chef Dominic doesn't cook at home that often...and also finds that not many of his friends will cook for him either!
 |
| Scones, brioche and clotted cream! |
It was a real pleasure to watch Chef Dominic at work in his kitchen, and his friendly approach made the afternoon tea masterclass great fun while we learnt lots too. For more information about the Masterclass, or the restaurants at One Aldwych, visit their website.
Thanks for popping by today,
Rachel
No comments:
Post a Comment