In the kitchen with David Kelman

SoGlos.com talks to The Slaughter Restaurant’s award-winning head chef David Kelman about cooking for the Queen, representing Wales and mistaking Bisto gravy for chocolate sauce.

Who are you?
I am David Kelman, the head chef at Lower Slaughter Manor’s The Slaughter Restaurant, where I have been for two and a half years.

What can diners expect when you’re in the kitchen?
Modern British cuisine with an emphasis on seasonality – I have a real respect for quality food and our menu changes with the seasons. My signature dish is chocolate soufflé with Horlicks ice cream and toasted marsh mallows – you have to try it!

Where do you source your ingredients?
I make a point of buying locally when the quality is good enough, otherwise I find the very best I can buy from further afield. There is a local farmer who supplies our fruit and vegetables, Cotswold Dairy supplies our butter and milk, and we also use local Lower Slaughter cheese and venison.

What are some of your favourite ingredients?
I love cooking quail and lamb in particular, but my idea of a perfect meal is a good glass of wine with cheese, ham and pickles and some fresh crusty bread.

What first inspired you to become a chef?
When I was 13 I had a job washing-up and I really enjoyed watching the chefs create amazing dishes, and after spending more than four years training at Llandrillo College in North Wales, I am doing just that.

Are there any chefs you admire?
I really admire Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver.

What has been the highlight of your career?
Cooking for Wales in various competitions around the world – including recently being a member of the silver medal-winning Welsh National Culinary Team at the American Culinary Classic in Chicago, where as part of a team of 12 top Welsh chefs I headed-up the pastry section.

Do you have any memorable moments in your career as a chef?
This year I was fortunate enough to cook for the Queen at the state opening of the Welsh Assembly.

Have you had any disasters in the kitchen?
Using Bisto gravy on a chocolate pudding as I thought it was chocolate sauce – that was many years ago when I was working as a commis chef though!

Who would you most like to cook for?
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May from Top Gear.

Who would you least like to cook for?
Alison Stuart – the deputy GM at Lower Slaughter Manor, she only eats well done pork chops!

Do you have any tips for amateur cooks?
Always pick quality ingredients and spend that little extra time concentrating on the details.

Apart from The Slaughter Restaurant, are there any other restaurants in Gloucestershire that you rate?
The Greenway Restaurant in Shurdington is very good.

What do you do when you’re not in the kitchen?
I spend time catching-up with my wife and young son Iwan at our home in Upper Rissington.

Where can we expect to see you in a year’s time?
I will still be here at Lower Slaughter Manor, doing exactly what I love.

SoGlos.com
24 August 2007