Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol


<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/01/Alex-Aitken-profile.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29651" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was your first job?</h2>



<p>At sixteen I worked as a trawlerman. I did it over two summer seasons in the little fishing village of Dumbar in Scotland. It was hard work – and a little dangerous – but I absolutely loved it. After leaving school I had a short stint in retail then worked as a waiter in a restaurant, working my way up to maître d’ and restaurant manager. My first job in the kitchen was at my own restaurant, Le Poussin in the New Forest, which I opened with my wife Caroline in 1983. Caroline was front of house and pregnant and I was self-taught with no professional kitchen experience, so it was a real leap of faith.</p>



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



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/01/Food-the-Jetty-Alex-Aitken.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29679" /></figure>



<p>Initially we didn’t have any huge aspirations for the restaurant, we just wanted to have our own business and to serve good food. We were recognised by Egon Roney and <em>The Good Food Guide</em> and as time went on, I grew the ambition to earn a Michelin star. I was enormously proud to achieve it in 1995 for Le Poussin. More recently, I was delighted when <a href="https://www.thejetty.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Jetty</a> took the national Seafood Restaurant of The Year award.</p>



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



<p>I’ve always adored using wild natural ingredients, like fish fresh from the boat and wild mushrooms I’ll forage from the New Forest. Our passion for using local, foraged food was something Jonathan Meades of <em>The Times</em> picked up on in the early days of Le Poussin. Also writing in <em>The Times,</em> Gordon Ramsay also said dining with us was like eating off the forest floor when he named Le Poussin one of his top 11 favourite places to eat.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best local suppliers?</h2>



<p>Local sourcing has always been very important to me – I still buy fresh fish direct from the trawlermen at Mudeford Quay for the Jetty restaurants in Christchurch and Southampton. For fresh local fruit and vegetables I love <a href="http://www.dantanners.co.uk/sopley-farm.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dan Tanner at Sopley Farm</a> on the edge of the New Forest. I know them well and they always do a really good price for the best seasonal asparagus, pumpkins and squash. When we can, Caroline and I still forage for fresh ingredients and share them between the restaurants, which the kitchen team love.</p>



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



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/01/Alex-Aitken-kitchen.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29652" /></figure>



<p>As well as Gordon Ramsay there were quite a few well-known faces at Le Poussin, including Helen Mirren. I’m a big Manchester United fan so I was over the moon when Eric Cantona ate with us at The Jetty. And memorably, in the very early days at <a href="https://www.limewoodhotel.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lime Wood Hotel</a> where I was executive chef, Jamie Cullen and Sophie Dahl took over the hotel and had a secret wedding blessing.</p>



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



<p>Back when I was a very young waiter, I can recall carving a chateaubriand with a blunt knife and it fell on the floor. The French chef at the restaurant was pretty scary at the best of times and he was not in a good mood so I quickly scooped it up and served it anyway. I remember being very relieved to have got away with it!</p>



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



<p>An omelette, usually with whatever I can find in the fridge but always with cheese – cheddar, or some reblochon or some local <a href="https://hampshirecheesecompany.co.uk/tunworth-cheese/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tunworth</a> if I have it.</p>



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



<p>I met my wife Caroline on the 66 bus between Romsey and Winchester. The first time I cooked for her I made a steak with a red wine sauce. I had no cooking experience at the time but it clearly hit the mark and we’re still happily married.</p>



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



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/01/Marco_Pierre_White_PnO_Britannia_548094-min.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29676" /><figcaption>Marco Pierre White in the Cookery School <a href="https://www.pocruises.com/themed-cruises/food-heroes/Experiences/marco-pierre-white" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on board P&amp;O Britannia</a>. Pic: <a href="https://www.christopherison.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christopher Ison</a></figcaption></figure>



<p>I have two – Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay. Their flavours and ingredients really sing. I’ve had some really memorable meals cooked by Marco in particular including a beautiful scallop dish and sweetbreads cooked in Sauternes [sweet French wine] served with carrots. Marco often works with the cruise liners and has dined at The Jetty on quite a few occasions. When he ate with us recently I wasn’t around, so he left a lovely note.</p>



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



<p>It has to be Jacques Pépin’s <em>La Technique</em> and <em><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Methode-Jacques-Pepin/dp/0333353811" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">La Methode</a></em>. Jacques is a Michelin-starred French chef who went on to become an author and TV personality in the US. In my early days as a professional chef with no formal training, his books were very instructive.</p>



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



<p>I find it hard to choose between French, Italian and Asian. I lived in Singapore as a child and I love holidaying in Italy. One of my most memorable meals was at a restaurant I happened upon in Capri. We dined on a pasta vongole made with delicious, sweet razor clams and had a lovely bottle of white.</p>



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



<p>I’ll often dine at <a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton/eat-and-drink/the-jetty" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Jetty</a> but when I’m at <a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Harbour Hotel</a> in Ocean Village I sometimes go to Blue Jasmine too. The Asian-fusion food is fantastic and I’ve got to know the front of house really well so I know I’ll be looked after and have a good experience.</p>



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



<p>I can’t name a single ingredient but as a huge advocate of wild food. I’d say venison for fur and woodcock for feather. Fish is a tie between red mullet and turbot.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Most over-rated ingredient?</h2>



<p>Samphire. I don’t dislike it but I find it’s really overused with seafood dishes and often served out of season.</p>



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



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/01/Alex-Aitken-cod-crab.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29674" /><figcaption><a href="http://www.mudefordseafoodfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/alex-aitken-crab-and-herb-crusted-cod.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crab and Herb Crusted Cod With Crushed Peas and Butter Sauce</a></figcaption></figure>



<p>My fillet of cod topped with Mudeford crab and a lovely herb crust. It’s a favourite of mine from Le Pouissin. It’s been on the menu at The Jetty since we opened and continues to be popular.</p>



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



<p>Keep it simple and use the best local and seasonal ingredients you can. Many home cooks and inexperienced professional overstretch themselves and complicate the flavours by using too many ingredients.</p>



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



<p>I don’t really use them but of course, a good sharp knife is a must. I like <a href="https://www.wusthof.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wusthof chef’s knives</a> – they’re not the most expensive on the market but they always do the job well.</p>



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



<p>A great soup like a ham, lentil and pearl barley broth. A good, homemade stock – it’s such a waste to throw the fat and juices from a roast chicken but lots do. And a good paella or other simple rice dish. &nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Find Alex at <a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton/eat-and-drink/the-jetty" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Jetty</a> restaurant at <strong><a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/christchurch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christchurch Harbour Hotel &amp; Spa</a></strong> and the  <a href="https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Harbour Hotel &amp; Spa Southampton</a>.</strong></p>



<p><em>The Jetty, 95 Mudeford, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 3NT</em> <em>Tel. 01202 483434</em>.</p>


What’s cooking? Alex Aitken, The Jetty in Christchurch

You may also like