Norfolk


<p>He has cooked for the Queen, won <em>Great British Menu</em> and scored top positions in Michelin-starred restaurants, but it was opening his own restaurant, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://restaurantbenedicts.com" target="_blank">Benedicts</a>, in his home city that ticked the biggest career-goal box for Richard Bainbridge. We caught up with him to talk all things foodie and local &#8211; and find out what new ventures he’s cooking up!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35717" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge2-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who or what first inspired your love of food?</h2>



<p>I grew up in a single-parent family in the 80s when the microwave was king and we ate a lot of processed food. My grandmother, Nanny Bush, was a great cook and she taught me all about hospitality and how to make people happy with food.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your first job in the kitchen?</h2>



<p>My life changed the day after my 13th birthday when I got a job washing dishes at The Bull in Hellesdon where my mum did the books and my sister worked behind the bar. From the moment I walked into that kitchen I was hooked &#8211; the clatter of the pans, the smells, the camaraderie, the hustle and bustle. Being severely dyslexic, I found school a real struggle, but I loved this exciting, non-academic environment. I decided to give myself 10 years to make a success of becoming a chef, and if it didn’t work out I would become a plumber like my mum wanted.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Career highlight?</h2>



<p>I somehow scraped the grades together to get onto City College Norwich’s catering course, and in the holidays landed a summer job with Galton Blackiston at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.morstonhall.com" target="_blank">Morston Hall</a>. I had never seen fresh produce before and incredible ingredients like foie gras and chervil. It blew my mind. When I was 26, I got a call from Galton asking me to return to Morston as head chef &#8211; my first time in that role. After years of working outside Norfolk, it was fantastic to return home and hone my skills, working alongside Galton. He remains a good friend to this day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your biggest influence?</h2>



<p>I’m lucky to have had three proper mentors in my life. Galton introduced me to seasonality and regionality. Michel Roux Snr. emphasised the importance of hospitality and making sure the customer has a wonderful experience. And Kevin Thornton, the first Irish celebrity chef, showed me how to tell a story and take people on a journey with food. I’ve put it all into a melting pot and cooked up my own version in Benedicts.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35716" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sum up your food philosophy?</h2>



<p>When people walk through our restaurant door, we want them to relax and forget about the big bad world for a few hours. Our prawn cocktail canapé is always a great conversation starter &#8211; it’s not posh or over the top and everyone has their story about when they last had one or how their mum used to make it. I am classically French trained, I can’t get away from that, but I bring in my British influences, including the phenomenal produce that we have here in Norfolk. I’ve travelled the world, working in America, Australia, New Zealand and Dublin, but it was very important to me and Katja to open a restaurant in my home town, where it all started.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35719" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge4.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge4-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge4-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Most memorable moment at work?</h2>



<p>It still gives me goosebumps! Every morning at the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.waterside-inn.co.uk" target="_blank">Waterside Inn</a> in Bray, Mr Roux Snr. would greet each employee by shaking their hand, saying good morning and then moving swiftly on to the next person. But one morning after I had been there two years, he put both hands on my shoulders and said in his thick French accent: “Good morning, Richard, how are you my man?” He was one of the culinary greats of the world and he knew my name! It was an incredible moment for me.</p>



<p>Another big moment for me was getting the keys to my own restaurant, Benedicts (below). I kid you not, it was 20 years to the hour from when I started my first kitchen job at The Bull in Hellesdon. Katja and I sat on the restaurant floor with chips from the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fshshop.com" target="_blank">Grosvenor Fish Bar</a> up the road and a bottle of Champagne, and thought what have we done?! Seven years later we are still here.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge6.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35721" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge6.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge6-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge6-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge6-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Have you cooked for anyone famous?</h2>



<p>I have cooked for the Royal family on a few occasions including once for the Queen’s birthday. A small team at The Waterside Inn was asked to come in on their day off and cook for a very intimate family dinner. It was incredible. Prince Philip came into the kitchen to ask why we bother with canapés as he couldn’t really see the point of them! I have also cooked for racing drivers, politicians, and film stars, including Cliff Richard, Gordon Ramsay, James May and Terry Wogan. Belinda Carlisle even came into Benedicts once!&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your biggest mistake at work?</h2>



<p>Once a chef asked me to strain some fish stock for him. I proudly brought him back the pan of strained fish bones having tipped all the stock down the sink. I thought it was exactly what he had wanted but I soon learned my error in no uncertain terms!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">You’re tired, starving and impatient: what do you cook for dinner?</h2>



<p>My go-to delicious dinner for when I finish work late would be a slice of 90% Danish rye from our local bakery <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bread-source.co.uk" target="_blank">Bread Source</a>, smeared with salted butter and topped with cherry tomatoes cooked in olive oil, balsamic, sea salt, pepper and sugar, with a sprinkling of thyme. I might add a few bits of salami. If I had to pick a death-row dinner though it would be my mum’s roast dinner, even though it’s bland, overcooked, the vegetables are grey and the gravy is Bisto. Every Sunday, Mum would wheel the telly round and we would watch the <em>EastEnders Omnibus</em> whilst eating our roast.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What would you cook to impress a date?</h2>



<p>My family think I am a rubbish home cook, but Katja would probably love some barbecued fish in a brown butter béarnaise sauce with a simple slaw on the side. It’s fresh, rich and very decadent. I would have the open fire ready to sit by afterwards with a glass of wine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite chef?</h2>



<p>Somebody who I really look up to and aspire to is Fergus Henderson at St John in London. He is unfiltered in his love for British food and ingredients, and I love the whole concept of the St John brand and restaurant.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite cookbook?</h2>



<p>I collect cookbooks and have about 800 scattered throughout the house (my wife wishes I would have some other kind of hobby!). I find them fascinating and beautiful. <em>The Roux Brothers on Patisserie</em> is a book that still blows my mind as it shows so many traditional techniques which you can interpret and modernise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite type of cuisine</h2>



<p>I’d have to say French &#8211; I love how it can be rustic yet still so refined. Also Asian food is up there, especially Katja’s fresh Thai salad with pickled vegetables, homegrown chillis, shredded Chinese cabbage and a bit of tofu. Every time she makes it I question why am I the cook in the family.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite kitchen gadget</h2>



<p>My beautiful handmade kitchen knife. For my 40th birthday, I treated myself to an incredible, bespoke boning knife from <a href="https://www.braydestonknives.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Braydeston</a>, a local company started in lockdown located about 500 metres from the restaurant.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite local cafe? Restaurant? Hotel?</h2>



<p>Nothing pleases us all more as a family to pick up some fish and chips from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.ericsfishandchips.com/holt/" target="_blank">Eric’s</a> in Holt and eat them on Weybourne beach with a can of Vimto. We don’t get to spend much time all together so this is really special. When Katja and I get the chance to go on a date night &#8211; and if can get a table &#8211; we love to go to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.meadowsweetholt.com" target="_blank">Meadowsweet</a> in Holt. I worked with Greg at Morston and I am so happy he’s opened a Michelin-starred restaurant within cycling distance from my house. Greg and Rebecca look after us really well. What they do is incredible &#8211; something we already aspire to and they have only been open a year!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your three favourite local markets and suppliers?</h2>



<p>We have an amazingly close relationship with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.norwichfruitandveg.co.uk" target="_blank">Mike, Debs &amp; Sons</a>, the fruit and vegetable suppliers on Norwich Market. I remember getting veg from them with my mum on a Saturday. If you waited until about 5pm they would sell a bag of veg for 50p. In fact, Norwich Market as a whole over the past five years has exploded into a food emporium with its selection of great independent food stalls.</p>



<p><a href="https://pandsbutchers.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">P&amp;S Butchers</a> and <a href="https://www.northnorfolkfish.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Norfolk Fish Company</a> in Holt are both incredible suppliers who are passionate about their product and its provenance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite things to eat on holiday?</h2>



<p>We love to buy some local ingredients like veg, butter, bread, cheese, sausages and cured meats and have a picnic out the back of our VW Transporter. We want the raw products, rather than a certain dish, so we can shut our eyes and know where we are in the seasons and where we are in the world.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What mistake do inexperienced cooks tend to make?</h2>



<p>Under or over-seasoning is a big one. I also think people try to move food in the pan too quickly. It’s about giving the ingredient the respect it deserves.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35718" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge3-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge3-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite ingredient and why?</h2>



<p>Salted butter. I am not saying to drench everything in it but a little bit of butter over some beautifully boiled vegetables or new potatoes, tossed lightly &#8211; delicious.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Most overrated dish/ingredient?</h2>



<p>I bloody hate truffle oil. It’s a complete waste of money and it doesn’t give you the sense of luxury that you might think it would. If you can afford to, buy the actual truffles or alternatively use dried or fresh wild mushrooms.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The dish you are most proud of creating?</h2>



<p>There are so many, it’s like asking which is my favourite child! I am incredibly proud of my trifle (below) as it won me <em>Great British Menu</em>, got me known nationally and gave me the opportunity to pay homage to my grandmother. I put it on the menu time and time again.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge5.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35720" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge5.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge5-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge5-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tell us your best ever cooking tip?</h2>



<p>Replace those nasty black peppercorns in your pepper grinders with fresh, aromatic white peppercorns. Grind that over meat, fish, vegetables, salad &#8211; and your whole entire world of seasoning will just explode.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three dishes every home cook should master?</h2>



<p>A good roast because nothing gets a family around the table as much a roast does. A great cottage pie: an English classic which I love with a splodge of brown sauce. A really great quick dessert: our go-to is chopped banana and custard with a crumble of biscuits over the top.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge7.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-35722" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge7.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge7-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge7-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/10/Benedicts-Richard-Bainbridge7-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><em><a href="https://restaurantbenedicts.com/">Benedicts</a>, 9 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4PH, 01603 926080.</em></p>



<p><em>Richard also caters for private events, delivers high-end Dine-at-Home kits, and produces artisanal provisions, including <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://norfolk.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/local-food-and-drink-producers-great-taste-awards-norfolk-winners/" target="_blank">Great Taste</a> award-winning granola and frozen stocks and sauces. For more info, visit <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://rbainbridge.co.uk" target="_blank">R Bainbridge</a>. He also supplies the newly revamped <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.jarrold.co.uk/departments/the-deli" target="_blank">Jarrold Food Hall</a></em> <em>with fresh deli dishes, including farmhouse <em>pâté</em>&nbsp;and lemon tart.</em></p>


What’s Cooking? With Richard Bainbridge

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What’s Cooking? With Richard Bainbridge