JASON ATHERTON on his food heritage
Inspired by the military in Skegness and a French recipe book, Jason Atherton worked for culinary galacticos before starting his own stable of restaurants, now including Harrods Social
Dining in France
I bought this book, Dining in France by Christian Millau, in 1988 when I was working at a hotel in Skegness – I’ve still got it now. That book changed everything; I had no idea food could even look like that. It had these incredible chefs in it, like Bocuse and the Haeberlin brothers. It made me think, ‘If I’m going to be doing this job for 50 years, then cooking food like this will get me out of bed in the morning.’
Armagnac ice cream
One dish that stood out was from Joël Robuchon. I just remember a picture of him in immaculate chef whites, and he’d made this simple caramelised pear on a flat piece of pastry with Armagnac ice cream. It was so simple, so perfect and I’d never seen anything like it before.
The Army
When I was a growing up in Skegness the military would set up on the seafront to show off their might. There’d be all sorts of planes and tanks
– it was brilliant. Part of that was the Army Catering Corps and I was always inspired by the white uniform and big tall hats. They just looked so smart that I wanted to be like them, so I joined up.
London
After that, I had to be in London. I got a job washing pots for Boyd Gilmour, who had been a bassist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, but gave it up to open a restaurant in Covent Garden. After two months, he wanted me to train as a chef, so away I went.
Marco Pierre White
I have been fortunate enough to work alongside some great chefs: Gordon Ramsay, Ferran Adrià, Pierre Koffmann, Nico Ladenis. Each has played a role, but Marco Pierre White was the rock star chef that inspired a generation of young British chefs in the 90s, including me. He was simply an incredible cook – he was a genius.
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon was my finishing school – he was the best at everything. He was a man on a mission and I feel extremely proud to have spent a decade by his side. We will remember him as one of the greatest, and rightly so. Eating at Aubergine was like a drug you crave; when I went there for the first time in the Nineties, I knew Gordon was special.
Gambas
I love the food of Spain and I went to work at El Bulli with Ferran Adrià. In San Sebastián, I go to Elkano, where it’s just about grilled turbot and lobster with a fantastic wine list. I love going to Barcelona, too – what the Adrià brothers created at Tickets is incredible. When I’m in Spain I always eat gambas, the sweet red prawns. You can get them here but they’ll have been in a van for two days. There you get them straight from the sea, so they’re special.
Megève, France
How can you be involved in food and not love France? One of my favourite places is Flocons de Sel in Megève, which is just the best neighbourhood restaurant in the world (it’s got three Michelin stars because it’s as good as that). Emmanuel Renaut gets his beef, lamb, cheese, goats, vegetables and herbs all from the mountain; he shows you what you can find if you look for it, and it all makes sense on a plate.
Sea urchin
Japan is amazing. They manage to run these tiny little restaurants which can fit ten people in them and still make money, even in a metropolis like Tokyo. And I’m so thankful, because the food is unbelievable. I love the Hokkaido sea urchin. There’s a whole ceremony around eating it because you have to use your fingers, and the tradition goes back hundreds of years. And the taste is just next level. When you’re eating food this good, you’ve got the best life…
You can keep your luxury yachts and private planes.
If there’s one thing that ties together everything Jason does it’s an obsession for food. ‘I think about it constantly,’ he says. ‘I live, eat and breathe food: at home, on holidays – my wife even says “it’s just too much” sometimes. It’s what I am. By the time I’m finished in London, I hope people remember us not for the stars, but as people who were passionate about food and inspired the next generation’