'I didn't want to let them down' Michael Caines interview
The award-winning chef tells us how his terrible accident spurred him to win two Michelin stars at Gidleigh Park
Michael Caines says he likes nothing more than a daily challenge to keep his passion cooking alive, but little did he know that aged 25, his passion would be tested to the limit, making him question if he could ever return to the kitchen.
Car crash
The self-confessed workaholic was on his way to a christening when he was involved in a terrible accident with his car flipping over and crushing him. As he slipped out of consciousness he remembers saying, ‘My life is ruined, how can I carry on?’ Luckily Caines survived the accident, but lost his right arm from the shoulder down. Amazingly, such was his determination to battle back that he returned to work at Gidleigh Park in Devon a fortnight later, ‘as I didn’t want to let them down. I’d only been in the job a few weeks. I didn’t want to give up without a fight and it made me more focussed on achieving my goals.’
Childhood
Growing up in Exeter, adopted, as one of six kids, it had never occurred to Caines that he could turn his love of food into a career, so he’d planned to enter the military. It was only when he got a work placement in a kitchen in his final year at school that he had his lightbulb moment as he calls it. ‘I learnt an appreciation of food in part helping dad out in our kitchen garden from a young age and I loved cooking for the family using fresh ingredients from it. I’d finally found my calling. I still get that buzz from creating new dishes from scratch on a daily basis in my various restaurants.’
Meeting Raymond Blanc
After winning the accolade ‘Student of the Year’ at Exeter Catering College, he spent three years with his mentor Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire before Blanc recommended he expand his horizons and go to France. He returned to the UK in 1994 to become the head chef at Gidleigh Park, winning its second Michelin star in 1999. He remains there, while expanding his Michael Caines Restaurants empire in conjunction with the Abode chain of boutique hotels around the UK.
Close to nature
‘I think it’s easier to develop a real understanding and passion from food if you grow up close to nature because you understand everything from germination to cultivation to cooking with it. At this time of year you’ve got phenomenal root vegetables, kales and cabbages, not to mention game like venison and partridge. It’s time to leave the Mediterranean flavours behind and embrace more humble ingredients.’
Ready, steady, pop up
The inspiration behind Caines’ newest project - a Fairy Liquid pop-up restaurant at the Oxo Tower in London on November 18th and 19th - is simple comfort foods that evoke childhood memories. The catch is you have to help him do the washing up after desert! ‘I wanted to reinforce that good food doesn’t have to be over-complicated or new and hip, so I’m making things like cottage pies, roasts and sticky toffee pudding. That’s what I like to eat at home myself.’ One thing he can’t abide is smoked salmon (‘often under-cured and looking cheap and horrible’) and says he’s not good with really hot spices, but in his defence he says, ‘I’m open to trying most things.’ He likes nothing more than unwinding with a good glass of champagne and a post-dinner rum and coke.
When at home
He admits that where most cooks at home go wrong is surprisingly to deviate from recipes before they’ve got the basic understanding of techniques and why things work together. ‘Once you’ve got a good technical base, then by all means be adventurous, but cooks often get frustrated that things don’t turn out as expected, denting their confidence. As the saying goes, ‘You have to learn to walk before you can run.’
Larousse v Youtube
While the legendary Larousse tome is an encyclopaedia for the whys and hows of cooking, he admits it can be intimidating for a lot of people, so he recommends searching out videos online on Youtube ‘because the quality of production is surprisingly good and is an easy way to learn.’
Advice for Christmas
With the holiday entertaining season bearing down, Caines has several vital points to quashing your Christmas Day kitchen jitters. ‘First, don’t be too ambitious about what you’re doing. It’s better to do something simple and well, then overstretch yourself and muck it up. Second, preparation is key. Seriously think about how much can be done in advance and write a mini schedule so you keep on top of things. For instance, serve a warming mulled wine with an unassuming canapé like a posh mini soup or cheesy choux pastry – they’ll help you buy time on the day. Third, it’s often the case where the burden falls on one person who keeps disappearing off into the kitchen. Get people involved and don’t try to be a martyr. Put dishes on a big table and let people serve themselves. Finally, don’t forget to enjoy yourself!’
To help launch the Fairy Platinum range of washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets, Michael Caines is running a ‘Clean-Your-Own’ pop-up restaurant at the Oxo Tower in London for two days on Nov 18th and 19th.
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