FOOD + DRINK
MEET THE CHEF :
ADAM TURLEY
Head Chef Proprietor , The Old Bank , Westerham
What led you to becoming a chef ?
My passion for the industry began growing up in my parents ’ pubs around the Sevenoaks area . I loved seeing the buzz you get in a kitchen and decided to follow my Dad ’ s footsteps and train to be a chef . It wasn ’ t until going to college where my passion to create unique dishes came to life .
Where did you train ?
When I was 16 , I started a 3-year international diploma in Professional Cookery at Westminster College . After my course , I took a position at the Wentworth Golf Club as commis chef .
Where have you worked before The Old Bank ?
After three years working at Wentworth , under Mark Flannagan ( now executive chef at Buckingham Palace for Her Majesty the Queen ). I moved to The Waterside Inn , Bray , a 3 Michelin Star restaurant , where I was mentored by the worldwide acclaimed chefs Michel Roux Senior and his son Alain .
I was asked to be head chef in a brand-new restaurant , Bluebells in Sunningdale , however , as I was only 24 I did not feel quite ready for the role so I accepted the sous chef position . I was promoted to head chef after just 6 months , and fine tuned my craft there for just over 10 years .
I left to follow my dream of opening my own restaurant , which was harder to attain than first assumed , so , having just moved back to Kent , took on a new challenge closer to home where I could display my culinary personality .
Joining The Bull in Wrotham enhanced my skills in BBQ and smokehouse techniques , and gave me the opportunity to train some wonderful young chefs in fine dining cuisine .
Why The Old Bank in Westerham ?
I grew up in Kent , just down the road from Westerham actually in Sevenoaks . Whilst working at Bluebells I met my ( now ) wife , who lived in Sevenoaks and we bought a house on the Kent / Surrey border .
Welcoming our daughter and becoming a father gave me renewed drive to follow my lifelong dream to have my own restaurant in the south east .
We fell in love with a pub in Ivy Hatch , our offer was accepted , and long story short , after 12 weeks we lost the property . Still on the hunt I went to view a property in Westerham , the restaurant wasn ’ t for me . Feeling a little deflated we walked back to my car , when my Dad spotted a sign on the property of the old Natwest bank saying it had an A3 restaurant licence and was available . The outside of the property was stunning so we enquired further . The rest is history ...
Tell us about the dishes and menu you have created at The Old Bank ?
Creating the dishes at The Old Bank is great fun . I use the knowledge and techniques I have learnt over the years , look at current trends and research new locally-sourced ingredients . Writing a new menu is a complex task , we need to make our dishes sound delicious , balance ingredients , flavours and techniques , and make them work to our budget ,
whilst having as little wastage as possible . We also need to make sure the dishes we create can be recreated to a consistently high level during a busy service . We use the finest ingredients , found as locally as we can , and focus on intensifying the flavours as much as possible .
What is your signature / favourite dish ?
There is only one dish that we call our signature dish at The Old Bank - our Kentish honey , almond and chocolate chip souffle . It has been on the menu from our first day of opening . To be honest this dish was a bit of an accident with a bit of luck . Whilst writing the menu just before opening in November 2018 , I had the idea of a souffle that reminded me of a Toblerone . I wrote a first draft recipe that needed to be tested . With the crazy build up to the opening night , I managed to train my team and test 90 % of the dishes . But the souffle slipped through the net , and the first time we cooked it was for the first order on the opening night !
Luckily it worked a dream , and has been a favourite on the menu ever since . It doesn ’ t taste a bit like Toblerone , but is delicious nonetheless !
What is your guilty pleasure ?
I have an extremely sweet tooth ... And a bit of an addiction to chocolate !
www . oldbank-westerham . co . uk
RestTheOldBank theoldbankkent
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