In the Kitchen with: Thomas Frake
We sat down with Masterchef winner, chef and publican Thomas Frake...
1. What motivated you to pursue a career in cooking, and how did your journey lead you to MasterChef?
I started cooking at uni as a necessity, but also loved doing it. As my enjoyment of eating out and cooking at home evolved, so too did my interest in MasterChef. After years of being a sofa critic, thinking 'I could do that!', I eventually applied. The rest, as they say, is history. For months after winning MasterChef, I wrestled with the decision to either continue my career in finance or change direction completely. Sat in the office one afternoon the answer hit me like train; I would forever regret it if I didn't at least try. The next day, I resigned. Now, I'm Landlord and Head Chef of my own pub, The Silks in Wiltshire.
2. Who has been your biggest inspiration or influence in your cooking journey?
I'll answer this question honestly: television. I grew up glued to Ainsley Harriot on Ready Steady Cook, Antony Worrall Thompson and James Martin on Saturday Kitchen, Keith Floyd swigging from a glass on Floyd on Food, even Lloyd Grossman on the original MasterChef. From a young age, food excited me, and I learned so much just from watching these chefs and others on TV.
As I've evolved, my inspiration and influence now comes from eating out, travel, working with other chefs, and reading. Some great reference books that I recommend for enthusiastic cooks include Niki Segnit's 'Flavour Thesaurus', Larousse 'Gastronomique', Leith's 'Technique Bible', The Noma Guide to Fermentation, Josh Niland's 'Fish Butchery', Richard Turner 'Hog' and all the books by Elizabeth David.
3. Could you share a specific dish that holds a special place in your heart?
I'm from working class roots in the East End. Whenever family got together, there was only ever one meal piled up on my Nan's kitchen table; Pie, Mash & Liquor from Chrisp Street Market. I try to get back to the East End a few times a year to have it. Two pies and one mash, drowned in parsley liquor, doused in chilli vinegar, and seasoned with an obnoxious, lip-numbing amount of pepper.
4. Great British classics are so popular . Can you share some insights into your favourite British ingredients, and how they influence your cooking?
Great British Classics is a broad and evolving cuisine, influenced by multiculturalism and a globalised food world. To be fair this isn't anything new, the Victorians were excited by exotic spices from India, Africa and the Caribbean. Pubs and restaurants that promote 'Great British Classics' operate with this freedom of interpretation too, using classic French techniques, employing Italian pasta shapes, or grilling over charcoal on a Japanese grill.
My attitude towards Great British food is predominantly ingredient led, e.g. what's seasonal and what's local, as well as being inspired by, to some degree, stereotype or trend. It can be very subjective. Starting with local and seasonal ingredients is probably the most important step to cooking 'Great British Classics'. Rhubarb, Wild Garlic, Wild Mushrooms, Heritage Tomatoes, Venison, Pigeon, Oysters, Mussels, Crab, Mackerel, Sardines, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cherries and Elderflower are just some of my Great British favourites.
5. How do you stay inspired and creative with your cooking, for example travel, eating out, social media?
My biggest inspiration for cooking is eating. I like to eat as much as I can, from as many different restaurants, places and countries as I can. My cooking is fuelled by recreating meals, mouthfuls, moments and memories. I use cookbooks, rarely for recipes, but primarily for reference, techniques and execution. Specific and specialist books - like I mentioned above - give you the knowledge you need to execute your own ideas.
6. Do you have a signature dish or favourite go-to recipe to cook at home?
Honestly, no. This is a question I'm regularly asked and probably my least favourite. What I cook - or what I eat - is affected by so much: my mood, my appetite, the weather, who I'm with, where I am, what wine is in the rack, what vegetables are in season, whether or not the gamekeeper has a muntjac for me, or even what's on offer in the local petrol garage. I cook and eat what I fancy. All that said and done, Sunday's are for roasting.
7. Are some fundamental skills you believe every home cook should master?
The two biggest mistakes that home cooks make are putting the hob on full and the oven on 200°C. Don't. Controlling cooking temperature is the most important skill you can master. I appreciate most people do it for speed and ease after a day's work, but those few extra minutes cooking at a lower temperature can make all the difference to the taste and texture of your food. And along those lines, the biggest tip I can suggest is that when a recipe calls for onions to be sweated down on a low heat for 30 minutes - trust me - do it.
8. What would you say are your top 5 essential pieces of equipment that every home cook should have in their kitchen you can't live without, and why?
1. Deep Fat Fryer: an absolute essential for chips, batters, and pané. Everything tastes better fried, and controlling the temperature is so important when frying food.
2. A digital temperature probe: it doesn't need to be a flash, all-singing, all-dancing, Bluetooth connected, super gadget; a cheap analogue thermometer can help you achieve "restaurant quality" cooks on meat, fish, custards and cakes. It helps eliminate any doubt over undercooking or overcooking your food.
3. Mini chopper or food processor: again, it doesn't need to be the best and most powerful, you can even buy manual pull-cord choppers, but it makes prep a breeze. Chopping onions, garlic, carrots and celery for Sofrito, or herbs and chillies for sauces and salsas, is much quicker and easier, and it gives better results.
4. Nutribullet or hand blender: totally different to a chopper, but nutribullets are much more powerful and worth it for professional purées, pastes and emulsions.
5. A proper chef's knife: I've saved the most important to last. A sharp, well maintained chef's knife is the only bit of kit I couldn't cook without (either at home or in the pub kitchen). It's an essential. Invest in one before you buy anything else. Then, buy a sharpening steel second.
