Rick Stein writes poetry?

The famous seafood chef admits as much to Carol Muskoron at a café in London's Sloane Square. He also laments that there will never be another ‘Chalky' and explains why Australian coffee shops are so much better than ours

Rick Stein. has achieved so much - not only is he one of the most genuinely loved TV chefs on our screens, he's virtually turned Cornwall's Padstow into Padstein with his three restaurants and several foodie businesses, he's written so very many fabulous cookbooks, has tons of chef awards, oh and and has an OBE.

 

His latest book reflects the calm of a man who may well have reached the pinnacle of his career. It's called Coast to Coast and sees the great man of seafood taking his pick as he travels the continents for the very best produce and recipes. Coast to Coast Rick admits is a bit of an indulgence...

 

Q: I love Coast to Coast but be honest, can we really make great sushi in our own kitchens here in the UK. Don't you simply have to be in Japan?

A: You have a point. And this is not a meal on on the table in 10 mins book. It's a selection of my personal favourites from around the world - I've just tried to represent my experiences. You can have a theme with a food book - promising cheats and weight loss etc - but Coast to Coast is really just some dishes that I happen to like a lot.

 

Q:You've cooked for Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and the Queen, is there anyone else you'd particularly like to cook for?

A: I'd really like to cook in a bus on a film set. That would be such a gas. It'd be great if Scorsese was the director or Ken Russell. You'd get a lot of feedback. They'd be mouthy but appreciative.

 

Q: What did you cook for Tony Blair?

A: I cooked for him twice. Can't remember what I did. But I know I cooked turbot in hollandaise sauce for the Queen.

 

Q: You did a TV programme about the poet John Betjeman and the novelist Daphne du Maurier, is there a novelist or a poet in you?

A: Yeah, I think so. I'm quite keen to do an autobiography. That's probably the only form of literature I could do. I haven't learnt how to write novels. I love poetry and have had a go at writing it. I read Stephen Fry's book on it and then wrote a couple of poems. It's very satisfying. Kind of pulls stuff out of you that you didn't know you had. I reread one of them recently - it was better than I remembered.

 

Q: How are you getting on without Chalky [his much-loved Jack Russell who was often on TV with him and has now died]? Will we see you with another lovely doggie any time soon?

A: There is a programme coming out on BBC2 at Christmas called Memoirs of a Seafood Chef about me and how I got on TV and how Chalky got in on the act. A local guy wrote a song and got some kids and a brass brand to perform it - it's about Chalky in heaven. It's sentimental but it's Christmas. I'm divorced now and my partner's in Australia, so it's not fair to have a dog. For me that part of my life is really over. Some unkind TV critic called Chalky a prop dog. He wasn't. Another dog would.be.

 

Q: I spoke to John Torode recently and he reckons the UK is 15 years beyond Australia foodwise. Do you agree?

A: Interestingly, when John was interviewed in Aus recently he said that Australians think they're so far ahead of everyone foodwise and added that they're not! He upset everyone. I think Australia is ahead of us, but not by 15 years. Australian café make better coffee than ours - they've understood the need to have ‘barista' training. In Italy a person trained to make espresso is called a barista. There's enormous skill involved. In Sydney, cafés can be so popular because of their coffee. It's very competitive. We're not so discerning yet over here, but we've caught up a lot. We're two years behind the Australians, not 15.

 

Q: Can you give our ladies one piece of invaluable advice that will help them in the task of preparing food day after day after day?

A: One thing I've learnt from travelling is that in countries where people love food as an essential part of the culture, they buy food on a daily basis, rather than weekly. Every day you're hungry and every day you're excited by produce -  that inspires you to cook better food. A weekly shop is so boring. Everything goes off and has to be thrown away.

 

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Photo: Noel Murphy