Hedworth - Cook House

COOK
HOUSE

This is an Anima book, first published in the UK in 2019 by Head of Zeus Ltd

Text copyright Anna Hedworth, 2019

Images copyright Anna Hedworth, 2019 and copyright Wiesia Bojko Allen pages 6, 9, 11, 13, 56, 58, 59, 78, 79, 81, 83, 171, 175, 176, 201, 311; copyright Garrod Kirkwood pages 9, 79; copyright Jill Tate pages 9,14, 55, 107, 146, 147, 198; copyright Greg McCarthy pages 14,32,33; copyright James Byrne pages 55, 98, 109, 170, 171, 172, 235, 278

The moral right of Anna Hedworth to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN (HB): 9781788547215

ISBN (E): 9781788547222

Cover design by Heather Ryerson

Head of Zeus Ltd

First Floor East

58 Hardwick Street

London EC1R 4RG

www.headofzeus.com

COOK
HOUSE

ANNA HEDWORTH

AN ANIMA BOOK

www.headofzeus.com

After years of discontent, I finally plucked up the courage to leave my desk job and create a new career for myself running a tiny restaurant in a shipping container, writing recipes, menu planning, greeting customers, growing my own produce, foraging and cooking every day. This book is not only filled with all the delicious recipes I have cooked along the way, but also tells the story of how it all panned out by way of anecdotes, tips and beach fires. I hope it will be an inspiration for the millions of others who dream of jumping ship and creating something of their own.

Five years ago I sat at a desk wondering how to get out, a story repeated the world over. I was working for a local architecture firm, an interesting and creative one at that, and although I still have a love for art and design, the actual nuts and bolts of the job just werent for me and when it comes to architecture the nuts and bolts are pretty important.

For a while I didnt know what the answer was, but it turns out that it was staring me in the face. Every minute away from my desk, and many covert minutes at my desk, I was planning meals, menus, events, get-togethers and feasts with family and friends.

I realized I wanted a job where I ate, cooked and fed people every day, but at that point in time I didnt know how to get there. However, step by step over the past few years I have made my way there; from feeling like I was in the wrong job entirely, to owning and running my own micro-restaurant.

Cook House began as a recipe blog and supper club, cooking for strangers in unusual locations, offering them an envelope at the end of each meal with a pay what you feel vibe. It allowed me to test out my cooking skills, and try out this new life while still getting a pay cheque from architecture. It was a tough few years as I was basically working two jobs, but I loved every second of it.

It became a permanent space in 2014 and has been open for four years. Today, as I write, I am about to open in new premises, but it all started with my love of food, some local markets and a couple of second-hand shipping containers. It is a path I have forged for myself, using my own efforts and ideas, and its worked. It grew from a desire to bring people delicious food and encourage them to cook it too. I wanted to share this story in the hope that others, who are still sat at their desks, searching for a way out, will see that it is entirely possible to forge a new life for themselves.

Cook House is more than just the name of a restaurant or a book. It embodies the idea of being in my kitchen, cooking for people, feeding people and the conviviality of the table.

Today I have a beautiful restaurant where I cook every day, housed in two black shipping containers. It has won awards and gained national recognition. It has my collection of food postcards on the walls, shades of pale blue on the furniture and walls, herbs growing in the sunny garden, strings of little lights, a lovely atmosphere, shelves lined with pickles, ferments and home-made vinegars, and a little pot-bellied wood burner for winter. Its exactly what I wanted it to be.

The neon Service sign flickers on each morning and customers start to arrive. The menu is on the wall on a little chalkboard usually about six savoury dishes and a couple of puddings that changes all the time. Working this way has allowed me to cook, test and refine hundreds of recipes over the past few years.

The containers have an open-plan layout centred around a small kitchen. Diners can chat to me as I cook, ask how to make things and where to source ingredients. They can sit in the garden where I grow herbs and vegetables, or come along to meet guest chefs and eat their food. They can meet new people at a long-table supper club or event, even if they feel a bit apprehensive on arrival. They can come to a demonstration by my butcher or just stop for a coffee. Im trying to develop a way of engaging with place and food that goes further than just relaxed dining.

We cook at Cook House six days a week, but also travel around the region hosting dinners and events in beautiful spots in Northumberland from castles to islands, beaches to breweries. A sense of place and a nod to the location is hugely important to my menus: enhancing the beauty and joy of these experiences with the food.

My food is led by the seasons, what the local producers and farms have to offer and what nature is currently offering in the fields and woods. I focus on taste, texture and colour and a process of serving food that is ethical and good for you but not faddy or limited by theme or cuisine. As well as my desire to never put anything in the bin (it can always be turned into something), my cooking is also informed by the limitations of my tiny domestic kitchen. I have achieved what I have so far with the most limited budget of equipment and smallest of spaces, which just goes to show that anyone could do this

I have a huge passion for cooking, it is the first and foremost reason why all of this has happened. I genuinely believe that food, eating and conviviality should be of huge importance in peoples lives. It can bring such joy. I cook for people to enjoy themselves.

As owner and chef I am in the kitchen a lot, but I am also managing bookings, orders, social media, press, accounts and everything else that goes with running a small food business. Unlike most restaurant owners, I am self-taught. I have learnt everything I know by just trying things out whether that is at markets, dinners at home or feeding five hundred people. The recipes in this book are the ones I have developed over the years a genuine record of the whole process.