JEDDAH, 2 May 2007 — British food is on the menu at The Hilton this week, prepared under the supervision of two expert chefs visiting the Kingdom. Executive sous-chef James Chapman and Matthew Osborne, chef de parti, both from the Park Lane Hilton in London, are serving modern British food as part of the British Week in Jeddah.
“We are here to present certain traditional and national dishes to the community but also some that they are probably not aware of,” said Chapman. “We have put together a menus of dishes from different regions and included some Arabic ones as well.”
Wolfgang Meyer, general manager of The Hilton, said that because of the large numbers of visitors to London from the Gulf region it was essential that chefs from London understood the techniques and culinary requirements of their Arab guests.
“It makes perfect sense that visitors from the Kingdom have properly prepared familiar food available,” he said, “and the reverse is also true. Good British food here gives UK visitors the same facility.”
“So we are here to learn as well as present,” said Chapman, “and we have been working with the first rate team of chefs here to get even better.”
“Yes, there are fish and chips on the menu,” he said, “but that really is no longer what British food is all about. It is much more about healthy options and fresh produce.”
The chefs are using local produce but preparing British dishes.
“Most British dishes are quite simple yet tasty,” said Chapman, “and the local produce provides everything we need.”
He said that part of his task here was to present the food in an appealing way.
Some very traditional dishes appear on the menu, including roasts and seasonal vegetables. However, said Chapman, over the last 20 years there had been a radical change in the style and content of British cuisine, largely influenced by the styles and foods of Europe.
Top chefs — for example Gordon Ramsey — in the UK have developed the art of British cuisine to the extent that it is now sought after. Chapman thought that two elements contributed to the final quality of the food: Sourcing and preparation. “If it is the best quality and delivered to the kitchen really fresh, then you can’t really go wrong.”
Chapman, who picked up the passion for food from his grandmother, strongly believes that cooking is very much a science.
“The skill lies in the knowledge to blend the ingredients and know what they do to the food and how they blend with each other to produce what looks like a simple result,” he said. “The aim always is to give the consumer a ‘wow’ experience with the food and to achieve the consistency to do that every time.”
Osborne too entered the profession from catering driven by a similar passion for cooking, has taken the practical approach. “There is a tremendous amount to learn,” he said, “but the real pleasure is in producing the best you can each time and presenting it to the customer.”
