Damian Brown, of Chesil Rectory, talks Lancashire Hot Pot, living the dream and velvet slippers in our meet the chef column.

What first inspired you to become a chef?

"As a kid I was addicted to old school tv programmes with chefs such as Gary Rhodes, Delia Smith and Rick Stein and I decided that looked fun, so I left school and enrolled on a catering course at my local college."

What was the first meal you cooked for someone else?

"Butter pie for my mother."

Tell us a bit about your career so far…?

"I grew up in Preston, Lancashire, left school and went to catering college where I was given a placement at Northcote Manor. This is where my life went stratospheric! Meeting culinary heavyweight Nigel Haworth and learning old school classical French cooking under the watchful eye of Michelin chefs such as Billy Reid and Marco Pierre White and then working my way up to cook in iconic restaurants including L’Escargot, Mirabelle, The Vineyard at Stockcross and Richard Corrigan. After stints in California and Sydney, I settled in Hampshire and opened the Chesil Rectory with my friend Mark Dodd back in 2008."

Chesil Rectory(Image: Karl at Atlas)

What is your proudest career moment to date?

"Heading up the kitchen brigade and being an integral part of The Chesil. We’re still here after 18 years, having survived the ‘credit crunch’ recession, Covid, all the lockdowns, not to mention power cuts on Christmas Eve and even a chimney fire - so being here for nearly 20 years feels pretty good!"

What is your signature dish?

"We have featured many over the years, but one of the most iconic is our indulgent starter dish of crispy chicken wings and pan-fried scallops with cauliflower purée and rich indulgent chicken cream. It’s one of our most requested dishes and features on our menu several weeks of the year."

What is your favourite dish currently on your menu?

We’ve just launched our autumn tasting menu so it would have to be the Whole Roast Hampshire Partridge with a honey and black pepper glaze served with cabbage and fondant potatoes. It's luxurious and comforting - autumn on a plate."

On the menu at Chesil Rectory(Image: Karl at Atlas)

Where is your favourite place to eat in Hampshire?

"For something special it’s Pulpo Negro in Alresford or, if I’m popping out in Winchester, I’ll have a bowl of Vietnamese noodles at Winchester’s best kept secret, the Asian Food Hall & Grocery Store in Upper Brook St."

What is your favourite meal to cook at home?

"I love making roast dinner and cooking Lancashire hotpot with my two mini foodies, daughters Molly and Lily."

What do you like to drink with dinner?

"We have a huge cellar at the Chesil so I’m very fortunate to be able to drink incredibly decent wine. My current favourite is Greek Assyrtiko, but as we go into autumn, I’ll be sipping a full- bodied Appassimento."

What is your culinary guilty pleasure?

"Fish & Chips and a pint of Guinness at our little pub, The Three Tuns, in Romsey."

Which key ingredient is always in your fridge?

"Homemade spiced onion jam."

Inside Chesil Rectory(Image: The Electric Eye)

What is your favourite Hampshire ingredient?

"I’m a huge fan of Lyburn cheese and especially the Old Winchster and Lyburn Gold. We’ve used Lyburn Cheese on the menu at the Chesil ever since we opened. I’d also have to mention Chalk Stream Trout and Medstead for outstanding local game, not forgetting my love of a day out with the family foraging sea herbs from the Solent."

Which chef do you most admire?

"Brett Graham, the driving force behind The Ledbury in London. I worked with him when I was 21 and, to me, he is the epitome of drive, technique and success."

What’s your career ambition?

"I’m living the dream! Continuing the legacy of The Chesil Rectory."

What do you think will be the next big restaurant trend?

"We tend not to follow trends, we follow seasonality. We like to think of our restaurant like a very comfortable pair of silk and velvet slippers; we value beautiful ingredients, consistency and attention to detail."