Which ingredients do you most look forward to cooking with in November?
Every year, I am excited to see quince and pumpkins – my favourite colour is orange. With the pumpkin, I like to make a sauce called aguachile to dress sea bass and butternut squash. I’ll also make a squash dish that tastes like mango, using scotch bonnet chilli. At Fonda, we’re working on poached and brûléed quince for desserts – they’re the perfect garnish for our rice pudding. Finally, there are British winter truffles, the season for which starts in November.
Where can you buy Mexican ingredients online or in London?
I’d recommend going to Spanish shop R Garcia and Sons, W11. Harvest and the Whole Foods Market stores also have a very good variety of Mexican ingredients. Online, I would suggest Masafina, Mexgrocer.co.uk and Cool Chile for its dry chillies, masa harina (a corn-based, gluten-free flour), and corn and flour tortillas.
Tell us about your favourite piece of cooking equipment and what you use it for.
The pestle and mortar. In Mexico, they are made from a volcanic stone called molcajete. They are perfect for salsas; there’s something about making salsas by hand that I really enjoy.
In your restaurants, careful sourcing seems to be very important. Where and what particular ingredients do you find in the British Isles that you love to use?
I love seafood. Scotland, Devon and Cornwall have some of the best seafood in the world. Depending on the season, I love crab, langoustines, tuna, scallops and lobster. Also wild mushrooms and truffles from Somerset and from Galloway, in Scotland.
Are there any pre-prepared foods that you would recommend?
Tortillas. You can do all sorts of things with corn tortillas – tostadas, flautas, tortilla soup, chilaquiles.
Where do you look for food inspiration?
I use the MasterClass app for learning new skills. I also like reading books about art, film, design and management, and I visit museums and exhibitions for picking up ideas.
Which chefs are you keeping an eye on at the moment and where are they cooking?
John Chantarasak opened AngloThai last year and it has now been awarded a Michelin star for his British Thai cuisine. I really like how he uses spice in his dishes and also the freshness of the produce. Definitely worth trying.
What three ingredients do you always have in your own kitchen at home?
Miso, for soup and also to season dishes. Chillies, to add some complexity and spice. And hemp seed, which is a great source of protein and also delicious; you can use it as the main ingredient, as a garnish or as a base for a sauce.
Do you have any food experiments planned?
I’d love to go back to making sourdough bread, so I’m keen to get a sourdough starter. And also to try making some vegan kefirs at home.
