Five minutes with Adam Reid
Head chef at The French, Adam Reid has been in the food industry from the young age of 16. From starting as an apprentice at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall to achieving four AA rosettes, Adam has cooked his way to success. In 2016 Adam Reid was a finalist on Great British Menu where his dessert ‘Golden Empire’ blew guests away.
We caught up with him, and quizzed him on how he’d fare on a desert island…
1. What’s your first memory of food?
It would be my mum’s cooking, she always ensured we had home cooked food as kids and she is a great baker. It probably explains why I have a mild cake addiction…
2. What’s the first recipe you learnt to cook?
It’s not technically a recipe, but I remember watching Ready Steady Cook and trying to copy a blackened Cajun steak by Paul Rankin. We nearly had to call the fire brigade out!
3. What’s the recipe you can’t live without?
Tater ‘ash. It’s a northern staple and it would be impossible to get through winter without it. It’s on our menu at the moment with mushroom catsup, bread and butter.
4. What’s the one ingredient you’d take on a desert island with you?
Butter.
5. What’s the meal you’d miss the most?
A proper roast dinner.
6. You can have a one-off dinner party on your island… Who would you invite?
Keith Floyd, Escoffier, Christian Puglisi, and Sean Bean.
7. Which cookbook would you take with you?
Larousse Gastronomique.