The slicing of one tomato at Pub in the Park was enough for Andrew Pern to be drawn in to the Young Knives clan. Yesterday, the day finally came where I got to present the custom chef knife set to Andrew Pern of the Michelin Star The Star Inn at Harome. After a gridlocked 2 hour drive with Suz and Callie, we arrived at the beautiful village of Harome and were welcomed at The Star Inn by Andrew himself. The afternoon commenced with a tour of the Cross House Lodge , which was mind blowing enough (especially for a man like myself who loves wood, hunting and blacksmithing), followed by a tour of the 13th c. pub filled with the masterpieces of the Mouseman. It was an honour to be invited to step inside the kitchen where culinary masters were busy at work and Callie was particularly taken by the pastry chef and put in her special request of a sausage sandwich and ice cream. Whilst the ladies took their seat in the bar, the moment arrived when I got to hand over the knives, to which Andrew proudly showcased to team of chefs. The team quickly gathered round and it was great to witness first hand the enthusiasm for the knives. I certainly got the impression there will be some new orders on their way! As if the day couldn't get much better, we sat down to sample the incredible food including the signature black pudding and foie gras, the mouthwatering packed Whitby lobster with BBQ watermelon, the delicate gravadlax of oak-smoked Hartlepool landed halibut and finished perfectly with the cherry souffle.
The food and hospitality was second to none. Andrew and his team couldn't have made us feel more welcome and the overall experience was just brilliant. The Star Inn Harome is truly a place you can take your family, indulge in spectacular food and and it was great to know that my craft made Andrew smile just as much as his craft left all of us smiling.
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This weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to showcase my chef knives at Tom Kerridge's Pub in the Park event. It was three days of slicing, dicing and mingling with some of the UK's finest culinary chefs and producers.
The interest and enthusiasm for the knives was overwhelming. I must have sliced over 300 tomatoes and luckily no finger tips were lost! I met the most fascinating people and even got a few snaps with chefs I have idolised over the years. The food was incredible and we couldn't have asked for better weather (ignoring the Friday rain). Huge thanks to the Great British Exchange and Tom Kerridge for allowing me to be part of a fantastic event. Wow, wow, wow! I'm just back from a little trip down to Marlow to meet Tom Kerridge and talk knives. I offered to make him a one-off custom Santuko and he kindly invited me and my wife Suz to the Hand and Flowers where I presented him with the knife. Not only was Tom extremely complimentary about my knives but he also purchased some sample chef knives I had taken to show him - the best compliment I could have asked for.
Following our meeting with Tom we were seated at the bar to commence our culinary experience, and what an experience it was. The bar stools have to be the best seat in the house, the food was brought out by the chefs and the bartenders couldn't have done more for us. Aaron Muliss the head chef even took the time to come out and compliment me on my knives, saying he couldn't believe how sharp they were. The service was impeccable and ever so friendly, we felt very lucky. The food was out of this world and the staff were the warmest and most attentive Suz and I had ever come across. Three courses later, including smoked haddock omelette, fillet steak, and chocolate ale cake, Suz and I rolled out the premises feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole experience. As I sit and write this, it's still hard to believe that it actually happened! |
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