THIS week we speak to George Wilkinson, head chef at Turkey Inn, Laycock.
Q: When did you become interested in food and cooking?
A: When I was 15 years old I started working in a kitchen pot washing. I loved the buzz of being in the kitchen and watching the chefs cook and plate the food, and knew quite early on that I wanted to become a chef.
Q: Where did you learn your craft?
A: I learnt most of it on the job working in kitchens with great chefs. I also studied at Craven College in Skipton and enjoy watching videos on social media to pick up new ideas and skills.
Q: Where have you worked?
A: I have been at The Turkey Inn in Goose Eye for four years. Previously I worked at a pub in Haworth. I have worked my way up to head chef.
Q: What do you love about being a head chef?
A: I like the responsibility of it: developing new menus, thinking of weekly specials and helping the team to come up with new dishes. I also like keeping the kitchen environment clean and making it an enjoyable place to work.
Q: How many staff work in the kitchen and is it hard to coordinate them all?
A: Including myself there are five chefs at The Turkey Inn. On most shifts there are two of us in the kitchen plus kitchen porters. On busier days there might be four chefs. Everyone knows their roles and we have a good prep routine to ensure a smooth and organised service.
Q: What are the challenges?
A: The main challenges are being on your feet a long time and working with heat and knives. We are all well trained and an organised team.
Q: Do you specialise in anything?
A: I like to work every section in the kitchen, but I really enjoy the pass (the area in front of the cooking line where orders are placed for servers to pick up). When I’m working in the pass I can express myself on the plate and do the final checks before the food goes out.
Q: How would you describe the food you are cooking?
A: Mainly English cuisine, and traditional pub favourites. I also like to experiment with different cultures, types of cooking methods and a variety of different flavours, and textures. We have weekly specials at The Turkey Inn which helps bring out my flair and creativity for cooking.
Q: How do you feel when diners send their complements to the chef?
A: The Turkey Inn is such a special place and we really want every customer to have a great experience when they dine with us, it’s a really good feeling knowing a customer has enjoyed their dish so much they send compliments back to us. We all get a real buzz out of it.
Q: Have any celebrity chefs inspired you and how?
A: There are a lot of great chefs out there, Marco Pierre White really stands out for me. His knowledge and passion for cooking and the discipline and respect he has for it is really inspiring.
Q: What are your favourite cookery programmes?
A: MasterChef and Great British Menu are very interesting to watch. I often learn new skills and get great ideas from them.
Q: Did you watch the TV drama Boiling Point and how do you think it compares to real life?
A: Yes, there’s definitely a few scenarios in it that I can see happening in kitchens across the country.
Q: What are your ambitions?
A: My ambitions are to focus on fine dining and different elements of food.
Q: What is your favourite meal, and in an ideal world who would cook it?
A: I don’t have a favourite meal as I like too many things, but I’d like to eat a meal cooked by Marco Pierre White.
*The Turkey Inn, 20 Goose Eye, Oakworth, Laycock, Keighley BD22 0PD; theturkeyinn.co.uk
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