Meet the Executive Chef....Phil Yeomans

Hello there,

Welcome back to another meet the chef article from Tea With Me and Friends!

Last weekend Lorna and I went to the Marwell hotel in Hampshire, to try the new afternoon tea on offer from their new Executive Chef Phil Yeomans. Phil had joined Marwell only in August this year and we were keen to sample his afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea - Marwell Hotel

We were really impressed with the quality of the food on offer - not a crust in sight on those sandwiches and the cakes and pastries were divine. We were all delighted when Chef Phil came out to meet us at the end of tea, we thoroughly enjoyed chatting to him and finding out what his plans are for the hotel.

For Phil it's important that his dishes are seasonal and local, he sources his ingredients from the local area and is keen to support local producers. This was reflected in the serving staff who were able to tell us where all the different ingredients came from.

Phil Yeomans
Executive Chef Marwell Hotel

Phil was also kind enough to answer our afternoon tea questions, so let's find out whether he's a cream or jam first kinda guy......

Q How long does it usually take you to create new afternoon teas?

Not long, with great local produce in Hampshire we look at what’s in season and around us and build from there. Usually we spend a week to put it together and perfect it before we go live.

Q. Where does your inspiration for new teas come from?

I think the inspiration is to develop treats that are different food combinations that work well together and have a wow factor. Making sure we use the best local in season food available -but I also believe there is place for the traditional cakes done amazing well

Q. What is your favourite part of your latest afternoon tea?

I love the salted caramel, chocolate pave with honeycomb, it eats so well and we get to show case our own honey, it’s a big crowd pleaser 

Afternoon tea treats - Marwell Hotel

Q. Do you enjoy a spot of afternoon tea yourself and have you tried tea anywhere else?

I do enjoy it, really loved having tea at the Lanesborough in London 

Q. What is your favourite filling in an afternoon tea sandwich?

I enjoy the classic smoked salmon with a good kick of lemon crème fraiche and malt bread 

Q. The all important question - do you put cream or jam on your scone first?

I go jam, the jam sticks to the bottom and then load the cream high on top 

Q. If you could invite any guest to enjoy afternoon tea with you, who would it be and why?

Would have to be mum- she loves a good afternoon tea and is well over due a treat 

 Well, would you believe - jam first! I have to agree with Phil about the salted caramel, chocolate pave with honeycomb though - so scrummy!

It was really interesting to listen to Phil, he is very passionated about using local produce and providing high quality, seasonal dishes. I can't wait to see how the afternoon tea at Marwell evolves.

Thank you to Phil and the team at the Marwell Hotel for their time.

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel

Meet the Head Chef......

Hello there,

Welcome back to another blog post from Tea With Me and Friends, this time we are meeting the Head Chef  Sergio Neale at the Reform Social & Grill in Marylebone London, creator of the Vintage themed afternoon tea currently on offer.

Vintage Afternoon Tea
Reform Social & Grill

We visited the Reform Social & Grill last weekend and loved the concept of the afternoon tea, and afterwards Chef Sergio kindly answered some questions for us.....

Q. Why did you decide to feature a themed afternoon tea at the Reform Social & Grill?
Many places have themed afternoon teas and to add a little something extra to the classic option. I just tried to find something that is very on trend at the moment.

Q. We love the idea of an afternoon tea inspired by the 1940s/50s - what made you pick this particular era?
It a time in Britain when things were hard, with rationing still in place for much of the time, Britain pulled together, people did the best with what they had. But even thought times were hard people really knew how to have a good time. Its an inspiring time and at tea time, people enjoyed themselves and this is exactly what we want people to do here. Indulge, dress up and enjoy. 

Q How long did it take you to create this new afternoon tea?
The creation of this afternoon tea took around 3 month from the idea to 

Q. Was it hard to pick which fancies to include in the afternoon tea?
Not really! I just think back to what my granddad used to cook for me. Plus I have his some of his recipes which are amazing.

Q. What is your favourite part of this afternoon tea?
Bananas and custard, it’s a classic mums quick dessert, it’s a brilliant combination  

Q. Do you enjoy a spot of afternoon tea yourself and have you tried tea anywhere else?
I do enjoy afternoon teas, I enjoy classic tea rooms were they serve big wedges of cakes and eccals cakes as big as dinner plates. But for something a little special I would recommend sketch.

Head Chef - Sergio Neale
Reform Social & Grill

Q. What is your favourite filling in an afternoon tea sandwich?
Coronation chicken. A classic but we worked hard on getting the right combination of spices so its unforgettable

Q. The all important question - do you put cream or jam on your scone first?
Cream, you can get more on if the cream goes on first, its harder to spread cream on top of jam

Q. If you could invite any guest to enjoy afternoon tea with you, who would it be and why?
Definitely tea with the Queen! 

As you can imagine Lorna and I were pleased to hear that Chef Sergio dresses his scones in the correct way - cream first! We'll be enjoying a spot of afternoon tea at Sketch next month and so we were also pleased to see the recommendation here!

A big thank you to Chef Sergio for answering our questions and we hope you've enjoyed our latest instalment in the "meet the chef" blog articles.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Meet the Head Chef......Dominic Teague

Hello there,

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