Page 188 - Demo

188 || FASHION MAGAZINE || MAY / JUNE 2015FMM: What does your family love to eat? Do your children have an interest in cooking as well?TB: We cook a lot and usually healthy food; we eat mostly gluten free as one of my sons is like me and is allergic to gluten. We love making homemade pad Thai, green curry, and lasagna. My sons both cook, but one of them in particular is just amazing in the kitchen! His food, I love the best!FMM: We all love some good disaster kitchen stories-can you tell us your favorite one?TB: I was cooking chips in hot oil and forgot that I had left the oil on the stove to get it hot enough for the chips and went to my neighbours%u2019 for a cup of tea. Suddenly I heard the sirens of fire engines and said to my girlfriend, %u201cwow, I wonder what%u2019s going on!%u201d only to find out that they were breaking into my house. There was no fire thank God, but a lot of smoke from the burning oil and all the walls in the kitchen were blackened! So I was lucky I guess!FMM: You%u2019re stranded on a desert island. What five foods would you want with you and what would you make?TB: Chocolate, nuts, coconuts and I will make lots of smoothies.FMM: What do you cook at home that you would never cook in a restaurant?TB: Stuffed red peppers, which is my family recipe.FMM: You are Britain%u2019s top female chef-Do you feel a lot of pressure to constantly amaze, excite, and come up with something new, or is that just part of the job and the fun? Do you think the top male chefs are threatened by your success? TB: Male chefs compete with me, all the time; it%u2019s a chefs thing! I will not say I have pressure, but now that I am located in Dubai, I have truly amazed the people there by the opening of 3 major restaurants in only 7 months! I like to evolve.FMM: What do you consider to be your best creations if you had to choose? TB: My 12 hour slow cooked pulled lamb, which was my signature dish at the MayFair Hotel in my previous restaurant there Quince. Now it is also a best seller at Omnia by Silvena in Dubai.FMM: What is one kitchen tool you could not live without? What is one essential ingredient you could not live without? TB: A knife and tomatoes. FMM: If you weren%u2019t a chef or in the food business, what would you be doing?TB: Tennis player FMM: How do you continue your education and continue being inspired and finding new ideas? TB: I read and travel a lot!FMM: You are considered to be the authority on modern Eastern Mediterranean cooking-Can you tell us a healthy meal to make at home that is Eastern Mediterranean? TB: Here is a starter that I just developed for Emirates Airlines- Poached king prawns in sumac vinaigrette, the main is Pomegranate and za%u2019atar glazed roast chicken, and dessert is my raw gluten free sugar free, dairy free, Paleo and Vegan tiramisuFMM: How do you create harmony and balance in your dishes? TB: I combine seasonality, colours, and textures to create an experience.FMM: What is the biggest mistake you have ever made in the kitchen? TB: It%u2019s always hiring someone who%u2019s seems to be all right at the time, but later you discover otherwise; it has happened only once-here in Dubai! >>>