Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-1000x1000.jpg" alt="Ayesha Kalaji, Queen of Cups" class="wp-image-94673" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/ayesha-1-Vicki-Steward_Fotor.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Vicki Steward</figcaption></figure>



Executive chef and co-founder of the <a href="https://queenofcups.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen of Cups</a> – a 17th century pub in Glastonbury – Ayesha Kalaji serves up modern Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes inspired by her Jordanian heritage and Welsh upbringing (hence laverbread falafel with sumac, lime fennel and tahini). 



Winner of the Middle Eastern Food of the Year category at the BIH Spotlight Awards 2022, awarded a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand and shortlisted for Best Newcomer in the Estrella Damm Top 100 Gastropubs in 2023, she somehow also found time to wow the judges – with her personality as much as her skilled and inventive cooking – in the most recent series of Masterchef:The Professionals. 



Oh and the name? In an homage to mystical Glastonbury, the &#8216;Queen of Cups&#8217; is a tarot card symbolising feminine energy, emotional connection and compassion, which pretty much sums up the ethos and heart of her restaurant.



What was your first ever job in the kitchen?&nbsp;



My first kitchen job was at The Palomar in London. I truly believe it was formative in shaping me into the chef I am today. I still look back so fondly at the memories. Although it was challenging, I learnt so much and will always be grateful for the path it put me on.&nbsp;



Your career highlight … so far?&nbsp;



I’ve had a few! Opening Queen of Cups was a pretty huge moment for me. It was the chance to truly show who I was, and what my food is all about. When we were awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand I absolutely jumped up and down on my bed screaming like an excited child! And definitely cooking for Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing on MasterChef: The Professionals. That was pretty astonishing! Such an incredible opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate so have some pretty amazing milestones that I’m so grateful for.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-94664" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-food-_Fotor-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tempura courgette flowers stuffed with whipped ricotta, pistachios and sumac </figcaption></figure>



Can you sum up your food philosophy?&nbsp;



Every meal must be finished with a smile and a full belly. If I haven’t achieved that, I haven’t done my job properly.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Ever cooked for anyone famous?&nbsp;



The MasterChef judges is a pretty big one. There have been a few celebs dining at restaurants I’ve worked at, but Queen of Cups is yet to be graced with any big names!&nbsp;&nbsp;



The dish you’re most proud of creating? &nbsp;



That’s like asking me to pick my favourite child! There have been a few over the years. I utterly adored my mackerel tartare with labneh, kataifi, fermented rhubarb with ginger, and pickled wild garlic buds. Or my mahleb and golden chocolate cremeaux with raspberry, pistachio, hibiscus and elderflower. Oooh or my confit monk fish in beef dripping, with an arak and preserved lemon beurre blanc, chanterrelles and shamphire with sumac, and a squid ink tuile. There are many! As selfish as it sounds, I make food that I want to eat.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-94663" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-431867366_17997014636581872_5639168255639059599_n_Fotor-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Caramelised fennel with coriander, urfa chilli, caraway labneh and yeasted crispy buckwheat</figcaption></figure>



What’s been your biggest mistake at work?&nbsp;



Oh, there have been quite a few! From injuries, to dropping boxes of food down myself (and others), to splitting my trousers mid service! That was a pretty awful one. It was at the start of lunch service, in an open kitchen, and my trousers split all the way down the bottom. I blush even thinking about it! I’ve also made a lot of mistakes opening my own business. If I did it all again, I would definitely do things differently. But you live and you learn!&nbsp;



You’re tired, starving and impatient: what do you cook for dinner?&nbsp;



Something with cheese. Cheese is my go-to. When I’m sad, or angry, or tired, cheese always has my back. My cheese toasties are legendary (amongst my staff anyway).&nbsp;



What would you cook to impress a date or a mate?&nbsp;



A seafood risotto, or a bouillabaisse, but obviously with lashings of arak and other Middle Eastern ingredients. I’m a sucker for shellfish, and although messy there is something a bit sexy about peeling and eating giant king prawns.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-94666" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups_Fotor-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wild garlic labneh, house hummus, and pomegranate caponata</figcaption></figure>



Your favourite local markets and suppliers?&nbsp;



My neighbours, Stephen’s Butchers. Incredible, high welfare, locally sourced meat. Louis the butcher has not only been a fantastic supplier but has become a wonderful friend too. He’s the man who made my llama shawarma possible! I’m very lucky to have some phenomenal local growers and producers on my doorstep: Brown Cow Organics, Useful Beyond Buildings, Avalon Organics, Westcombe Dairy. The list goes on!&nbsp;



Favourite cookbook?&nbsp;



Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, Ripailles: Traditional French Cuisine by Stephane Reynaud and Kitab al Tabikh – the oldest known Arabic cookbook with recipes from the 8th and 9th century.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Is there a kitchen gadget you not be without?&nbsp;



A good steel knife. Everything is easier with a sharp knife. Or my Thermomix, the only blender I will use for hummus.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1.jpg" alt="Queen of Cups, Glastonbury" class="wp-image-94676" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-private-dining-room_Fotor-1-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Private dining room at the Queen of Cups</figcaption></figure>



What mistake do inexperienced cooks tend to make?&nbsp;



Overcooking things. Trust your gut. Use a temperature probe. Have faith!&nbsp;&nbsp;



How can we be more sustainable in the kitchen?&nbsp;&nbsp;



There are so many innovative ways to use waste and byproducts from cooking. There are a million and one articles online listing ways to use things that would normally be thrown. And eat the seasons! Seasonal food is not only better for the environment, but also tastier. A mid-summer strawberry from down the road will always be tastier that one that’s flown a million miles in the middle of winter.&nbsp;



Essential – and most overrated – ingredient?&nbsp;



Tahini &#8211; I bleed tahini! Sweet, savoury, put it everywhere. And I can’t stand mushrooms. They remind me of slugs so I will never get the hype. I enjoy cooking with them but a king oyster mushroom will never get my heart racing. People rhapsodise about them, and I just don’t get it.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread.jpg" alt="Ayesha Kalaji, Queen of Cups" class="wp-image-94671" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/00-queen-of-cups-laverbread-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Falafel with laverbread </figcaption></figure>



Can you share your best ever cooking tip?&nbsp;



More salt, butter and acid. Those are the phrases I find myself saying the most when I’m teaching young chefs.&nbsp;&nbsp;



What three dishes should every home cook master? &nbsp;



A red pasta sauce. Mine is fennel, chestnut and sausage meat sauce with lashings of Barolo. A good pasta sauce will save you in many a pinch.&nbsp;



A souffle. Now hear me out. I know you’re probably reading this, and thinking is she insane?&nbsp; Don’t look so aghast! I promise they are not as complicated as they look.&nbsp; Once you know the technique, they are simple. And they can be adapted with so many flavours and varieties. 25 minutes start to finish. You will thoroughly impress all your friends and family and yourself too.&nbsp;



A roast chicken. It was one of the first things my mum taught me growing up and it’s an invaluable recipe in every chef’s arsenal. It can be jazzed up in so many ways (my favourite being lots of za’atart, sumac and enough garlic to repel every vampire in Transylvania). The leftovers can be used in a multitude of ways. For me it is the perfect thing to cook on a Sunday, then make meals out of for the next few days.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://queenofcups.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen of Cups</a>, 10-12 Northload Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9JJ. 01458 831255. <a href="mailto:reservations@queenofcups.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reservations@queenofcups.co.uk</a>

What’s cooking? Ayesha Kalaji of Queen of Cups, Glastonbury

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