An exclusive interview with Stuart Collins of Docket No. 33

Having worked with the likes of Gary Rhodes, Michael Caines and Gordon Ramsay, Stuart Collins set out on his own to open Docket No. 33, a small but perfectly formed restaurant in the beautiful town of Whitchurch, Shropshire. He’s also been on the BBC’s ‘Great British Menu’ and has recipes appearing in Around The Table – the new cookbook from Great British Chefs. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he recently took time out from his schedule to have an exclusive chat with us.

Dish Cult: Firstly, congratulations on the book. How did that come together and how did you choose which recipes to submit?

Stuart Collins: Tom [Shingler] the editor works closely with Great British Chefs and had recently done a profile on me. They were in the process of the book and he kindly invited me to contribute a recipe for it, in particular a “make-dessert dessert [Dark chocolate ‘pot du crème’ with white chocolate truffle].

DC: What inspired you to get into food?

SC: I started out when I was very young, sort of 14/15, working in a butcher shop; we supplied a few local pubs and restaurants. Then when I was around 16 I remember talking to the local pub’s chef at the time and he started talking to me about the culinary world – Michelin stars and the Birmingham College of Food. I genuinely had no idea of it all and it was his suggestion I go to an open day at the Birmingham College of Food.

DC: Which chefs did you admire at the time?

SC: I did quite well at college and got on the culinary team. This led to better placements and work experience. So I managed to get down to Gary Rhodes in London. I think that was the first big insight into a really good kitchen that was fast paced with big covers. Then from there I got onto a further placement at Gidleigh Park with Michael Caines. That was just next level, it was brilliant. After I finished college I managed to get a place working with Michael.

DC: Are there any chefs you admire now?

SC: I had an incredible time working at Gordon Ramsay’s Hospital Road [in London]. It was with the Gordon Ramsay Group that I transferred across to New York. I spent a brilliant four years there, it was my first step up into management. I eventually came back to the UK for a bit before moving out to Qatar in the Middle East for five years.

DC: How was that experience?

SC: It was really cool, very diverse. The kitchen I worked in had in excess of 19 nationalities. 50 per cent of the kitchen brigade could barely speak English, which is very difficult but then you’ve also got people from different parts of the world who respond differently to different styles of management. Challenges aside it was a true eye opener and very humbling because I learned so many new flavour combinations and different cooking techniques, from making authentic curries to hummus.

DC: Tell us about your restaurant, Docket No. 33.

SC: There was very little here locally in terms of high end cuisine. There were some ad-hoc pop-ups, but we were the first higher end restaurant to open. Essentially we wanted a restaurant we would love to go to. Somewhere to go for great food, amazing service and fantastic drinks, but somewhere you could also be relaxed. I think that was definitely something we picked up on from the Middle East where you’ve got people that are worth an awful lot of money, but they’ll enter your restaurant wearing shorts and trainers, and you suddenly realise that things like dress codes, actually, in the right place can become problematic. And I’m not saying there isn’t a time or place for it – we all love going into certain restaurants where you have to put on your finery. Nonetheless, we wanted somewhere that you can come in and whether you wanted two halves of lager sat at the bar or the full tasting menu, just be the same person.

DC: What do you think makes your local area such a great place for foodies?

SC: Shropshire’s got this incredible community. If you go to local food markets and food festivals, you’ll see all the same faces, everyone is buying from the same people. Everything we need, all the ingredients, is produced, grown and farmed right here – it’s all fresh and local. The only thing we’re short of here is fish, but we can’t change the geography of the land.

DC: Which ingredients do you enjoy cooking with most?

SC: Good question. I would say fish is a big one for me, which considering our location is tricky. Fish is very technical, to cook it right and ensure it’s not overcooked or undercooked. Moving into desserts, desserts isn’t something that I’ve necessarily trained in. But obviously since having our own restaurant, it’s something that I always really focused on. I spend a lot of time researching and developing the dessert side of things

DC: Would you say that one of your desserts is the dish you’re most proud of on your menu, or is there another dish that you have in mind?

SC: On the current menu [at the time of interviewing] we’ve got a fantastic mackerel dish – beautiful mackerel that we get from Cornwall. We serve it with a turnip puree, some pickled turnips, a little bit of honey and some five spice.

DC: Is there one kitchen utensil that you could not live without?

SC: A spoon. I do everything with a spoon, I built my house using a spoon.

DC: What food is your guilty pleasure?

SC: Fish and chips.

DC: What’s the most exotic thing you’ve ever eaten?

SC: I tell you what’s quite random: Geoduck [pronounced gooey-duck]. It’s quite a phallic looking thing, I will admit, so when you Google it – don’t panic. It’s basically an oversized clam

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