insideKENT Magazine Issue 62 - May 2017 | Page 100

FOOD+DRINK
THE ART OF Food cont.
MATT SWORDER OF THE CORNER HOUSE
www.cornerhouserestaurants.co.uk
Matt Sworder opened his first restaurant, The
Corner House, in Minster in 2013, at the age
of 27. Within one year of opening, the
restaurant appeared in The Waitrose Good
Food Guide and achieved a listing in the
Michelin Guide. More recently, it was named
Kent Restaurant of the Year in the 2015 and
2017 Taste of Kent Awards.
Following a period working at his father’s
restaurant, Matt furthered his experience
working with more top London chefs
including Anthony Demetre at Les Deux
Salons and Adam Byatt at Bistro Union.
Matt decided to return to Kent to set up his
restaurant where he could make the most of
the fantastic produce available. He’s passionate
about supporting the local area and sources
much of his produce from a 20-mile radius.
He is an avid reader of cookery books and
admires Tom Kerridge’s ethos of simple things
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done well, which is what diners can expect at
The Corner House.
Where do you get your artistic inspiration
when it comes to the visual presentation of
your dishes?
A Corner House dish is all about trying to keep
the ingredients clean and simple and we reflect
this ethos into the presentation of our dishes.
We plate different presentation options before
we finalise how a dish will look and will
collaborate as a team on this to bring new
ideas to the table all the time.
Are there certain foods you find easier to
work with, and other you find more difficult,
when it comes to artistic presentations?
For sure, some dishes it’s all about a star
ingredient and from the star ingredient you
can work from there. It’s also really important
to think about how your guest eats the dish
and how you want them to experience the
combination of flavours. Presentation is key
to this so its not only about making it look as
good as it can, effective presentation also has
a very practical aspect to it.
What are your top three artistic tips for home
chefs who want to wow their guests?
Always put flavour first – taste, taste, taste!
Think about how you want your guest to eat
it – for example, if there are combinations you
want them to experience together, put them
together on the plate.
Simple is beautiful and less is more – don’t
overcomplicate.