Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 104

life

FOOD & DRINK

Haywood at the Seaview. “
It was the Haywoods who
first brought Mike over to
the Island from Manchester.
“When I met them I knew
it was the right job. They
work with professionalism,
ambition, compassion, and
understanding. They have
a unique perspective on
hospitality. My time there
was very successful and
enjoyable because their way
fitted with my belief in how
things should be done.”
But after seven years Mike
found he was getting itchy
feet. “It was difficult having
an employer because my

104

mind was going elsewhere.
As a self-employed chef
proprietor, my only limitation
is my own imagination.”
He had a traditional training
in classic French and English
cuisine, and for many years
kept within those parameters.
But since coming to the
Island he has developed the
confidence to follow his
own direction. “I’m most
comfortable with northern
European food, but I don’t
stick within the parameters of
any one country’s tradition.
As a chef, I almost intuitively
mix what’s best with one with
what’s best from another – it’s

the quality
rather than the
perceived style
of the product
that matters. I
can’t explain
how that works
in my head!”
A guided tour
inside Mike’s
head would
certainly be
an experience.
A particular
ingredient will
mentally take
Mike to the
place and time
where it is most
commonly
used. “I look
at the feelings
people want
to satisfy at a
given time of
the year: why do
Swedes smoke
salmon? Why
do the Spanish
salt cod? Then
I think about
how we in the
UK would deal
with this, given
we’ve lost our
sense of history
in cooking.”
If this foray
through
Mike’s thought
processes
sounds a little other-worldly,
he is adamant that he is
in touch with what real
customers want. At the
Seaview he hosted Cook
and Eat evenings, where he
demonstrated the preparation
of a three-course meal for
30-odd paying punters. “I got
tons of questions, but also
a whole barrage of opinions
about restaurants, pubs and
hotels. It was kind of market
research by default.” The good
news is he plans to run similar
evenings at his new restaurant,
beginning next Autumn.
If he’s so touchy-feely, so

intuitive about the needs of
staff and customers, is his
kitchen a model of peace and
calm? He smiles. “Chefs raise
their voices, but it’s not about
egos or fostering fear. The
volume reflects the degree of
urgency that things have to
be done. It’s a basic way of
communicating, but necessary
amid the heat and stress. And
we’re all in it together, and
need to work together.”
One thing about which he and
Paula are adamant, and which
is bound to ruffle feathers, is
the new name for The Battery.
“We did some research and,
yes of course there was an old
battery emplacement, but the
building wasn’t part of the
outbuildings. Before that it
was called Browns. Given that
it wasn’t the original name,
and we don’t think the name
fits with the way we want the
restaurant to be, we’re going
to call it The Boathouse.”
With a relaxed New
England style décor, The
Boathouse, they hope, will
be whatever people want it
to be, a coffee-shop, a bar, a
restaurant. But doesn’t that
all sound a little casual for
the fine dining experience
for which Mike has become
known? He cringes at the term
fine dining. “That suggests
egos and snobbery. The food
will be hearty, cooked to
perfection. If the best food
I can provide, the best drink
I can provide is called fine
dining, then so be it. But
I’m not cooking for status,
or to impress magazines.
“I’m not cooking for anybody
other than my customers.”

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