Byrne Aiden - Made in Great Britain

Aiden Byrne

Where do I start? Aiden and I have known each other for well over ten years now, working together for about four of those. Weve been through a lot together and have had some great times Aiden is one of the closest friends I have as a chef. We have shared and talked about everything to do with food and it is this understanding of and passion for food that has brought us together. It has shaped his life and made him the great chef that he is today.

It all started when Aiden came to work with me at Pied Terre back in 1996. I will admit that at that time I was a very, very demanding chef that worked all my staff extremely hard. I would stop at nothing to get the best from them and worked them harder than I really should have. But Aiden just kept on going and never stopped or wilted under the extreme pressure of working beside me. He was my number two and he just would not stop till the job was done the exact way that I had asked and wanted from him with never a word of complaint. He would come with me to Covent Garden vegetable market at 3.30am, then we would go straight into work for 6am, pack everything away and then do a full days work till 1am. We were working six days a week then myself, Aiden and three other chefs in the kitchen for almost nine months. It was unbelievable that we ran that kitchen with just four or five chefs. This is where he helped me keep the two stars at Pied Terre and without him there I realise that this could and would have been an impossibility. I am truly indebted to Aiden and what he did with me back then.

He came to work with me again as my head chef at Tom Aikens for a further two years and here I really pushed him to his limits. He knew what I wanted and what we had to do; I could not have asked any more from a person. When I think back I was the luckiest man alive to have Aiden with me, and I dont think he has realised even today how much I value all that he did. The pressure I put him under and the stress of the work never fazed him, tough scouser that he is. The man would never buckle, but just get stuck in and push on. He understood the reasons why we did these crazy hours and why we worked so hard. We both share an old-fashioned belief that with hard work and determination anything is possible. To have someone like him as your right-hand man is priceless. He worked without question and with total dedication.

Running a kitchen is about forming relationships with your team and fellow workers, but especially with your number two. It can be very difficult trying to combine a working relationship with a friendship as you have to keep the balance between serious work and light-hearted kitchen banter. I know that there were times when I demanded too much from Aiden but he never complained. He was always the first one in and the last one out.

You may all wonder what drives us crazy chefs to work the hours we do but with Aiden it genuinely is a passion for excellence. I believe this makes him stand out from a lot of other chefs. Working under huge amounts of pressure gives you standards, procedures, schooling, dedication and understanding. I relied on Aiden more than anyone else. Every place you go to work you take something with you, be it the way the chef works, the style of food or the way the kitchen is run. Eventually you find your way, your style and your food. With the understanding of all this you will make your mark and Aiden has certainly done this. It makes me very proud to see how far he has come and to see him challenging himself and his team in such a positive way. We can all take the easy routes in life and we can all follow other people but to be a leader and to stand on your own two feet takes a huge amount of effort and hard work.

Aiden has come full circle in his career and he now has chefs looking up to him and coming to work in his kitchen because of him, his food, his style, his personality and his own drive and dedication. I will never forget the times we have had and shared together. There were great times and hard times but it was the way we worked together, the way he made it all worthwhile and how he motivated my staff that I thank him for. I have a lot of great memories and sometimes I do get nostalgic for the old days when we did service together and could practically read each others minds. I miss that and if ever the opportunity came along again for us to work together then I would jump at the chance. There has never been anyone else like him, but I will always have his friendship and thats invaluable.

British food has for a long time had a pretty bad press, unfairly, in my opinion. But it does, in fact, have an extremely rich and varied history that stretches right back to Roman times. And there is so much fantastic produce that is available to us in Britain. True, British food and cooking has had its low points but many people today are beginning to rediscover good food and recognise that it is at its most tasty and healthy when fresh and in season. In towns and cities across Britain, farmers markets, selling produce grown or made locally, have become increasingly popular. Whats great about these markets is that you can talk to the producer while he or she wraps up your purchases. All this has been accompanied by a rekindled interest in cooking and a backward glance at old family favourites.

In this book I have attempted to show you how the best British ingredients can still be combined to create an outstanding British cuisine that rivals the best in the world. British cuisine has really come a long way in the last few years but in London the change has been remarkable. London has long been a dynamic centre of food fashion and there are now hundreds of fantastic restaurants many of them serving world-class food.

Today, there is no reason why good British cooking cant be the rule, rather than the exception and not just in Londons fashionable restaurants. Id like to see great British food in restaurants right across the country and more importantly, in peoples homes and kitchens.

When I was a young chef, things were very different as far as produce was concerned. It arrived at the door, we opened the packaging and did what we needed to do to it: seasoned, marinated, cooked it and made it look pretty on the plate at least that was my understanding. The main priority was to make the customers smile, leave happy and tell their friends. Then the restaurant would stay busy and Id keep my job.

Now, almost 15 years on, things have changed dramatically. I have, I hope, a little more knowledge and a lot more respect; respect for the clientele, respect for my staff and most importantly respect for the produce.

If I were to have written this book ten years ago, it would have been destined for the professional chef, but now, that is not the case. Times have changed. Cookery books like this have replaced designer magazines and autobiographies as a coffee table staple. As a chef that is an amazing change to witness and be a part of.

Actually, ten years ago I would not be able to write this book unless I had three Michelin stars and a chain of restaurants to my name. People are now looking for more variety, are keen to try new ideas. They want to push their culinary boundaries not just by what they eat in restaurants but in their homes. Knowledge and information are key and that information is in demand more and more.