Q & with Sam Taylor

How long have you been cooking and what made you decide to be a chef? 

I have been cooking professionally for about 15 years now in various places cooking lots of different styles of food, my dad was a chef when I was small and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

My style of cooking varies a lot, depending on the dishes that I put on the menu, I love classic cooking and classic techniques but I also love to create modern dishes using modern techniques.

Can you talk us through your style of cooking?

My style of cooking varies a lot, depending on the dishes that I put on the menu, I love classic cooking and classic techniques but I also love to create modern dishes using modern techniques.

Which chef has influenced you most during your career?

When I first became a chef, Heston Blumenthal was a big influence, I used to read about all the weird and wonderful ways he would make the simplest of things. As I grew in my career people like Daniel Clifford, Tom Kerridge, Ashley Palmer Watt. They all have different styles of food but it’s always perfect to look at and makes the best of the ingredients they use.

What are your favourite garnishes to use when plating up?

I love something with colour and texture, cucamelons look and taste great. Micro shoots like nasturtium, bulls blood and borage make a Savoury dish pop and I love the colour and variety of edible flowers like violas, cucumber flowers and snap dragons for desserts.

What is your favourite product to work with?

I love working with chocolate, it can be used in so many different ways, it can be sweet or Savoury depending on what you use it for.

What does the future hold for you as a chef, what is your ambition?

I have just started as head chef at The Village Maid in Lound I plan to stay here to learn all I can about being head chef, in the future I plan to own my own restaurant serving the best quality food I can possibly provide.