Careys Manor kitchen is in talented hands with Head Chef Dylan James. After gaining scholarships and diplomas he headed to the famous Goring Hotel in Belgravia where the brigade achieved a coveted Michelin star. A stint in Cognac followed by joining esteemed chef Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor before heading back ‘home’ to now lead the Careys Manor team.

 

Q:          What was the inspiration for becoming a chef?

I was always involved in cooking at home when growing up. Baking was a favourite in our household – we had an old apple tree in the garden, so I remember making lots of apple pies and crumbles. I decided to take a GCSE in Catering and that was it!

 

Q:          What would you say is your style of cookery?

A mixture of Classical French and British. Those are my foundations, but generally I like simple, clean flavours cooked well.

 

Q:          Tell us about your business?…What’s on the menu? Any special nights or events happening?

At Careys, no day is the same. We have a wide range of food offerings; from afternoon tea to corporate lunches, private dinners and weddings to the Neigh Bar – our relatively new food trailer. So, there’s lots to keep you on your toes!

At our Cambium Restaurant, the menu is always controlled by the seasons; whether it be a New Forest asparagus dish in the spring or a venison dish in the autumn/ winter. We always try to make the best out of the star ingredient depending on the season.

 

Q:          The New Forest and Hampshire has some great local suppliers, what does that mean to you and how do you work with them?  

We are very lucky to be situated where we are, with lots of great ingredients found locally. We don’t take our great location for granted and love to work with local ingredients. New Forest asparagus is always a spring menu staple;  Isle of Wight tomatoes and New Forest strawberries are a highlight in the summer; great cheeses such as Tunworth and old Winchester are also worked into our menus.

 

Q:          Favourite ingredient? And why….. 

Shellfish, in particular crab and mussels, are favourites of mine. I’m always cooking mussels at home for a quick easy dinner on a day off. Both are also used a lot at work – they just create such delicious, flavourful dishes.

 

Q:          Do you have a signature dish? Is there one that you just can’t take the menu?

Beef Wellington. It’s not on the menu at present, but we do put it on as a special every now and again, and it goes down very well. When I worked at the Goring Hotel in London it was on the menu every night and was my job to make them, which I loved doing.

 

Q:          Top kitchen gadget? ….You can’t live without…

Pasta machine!

 

Q:          Any kitchen disasters or funny moments you can tell us about?

One Christmas party night in December, we had 225 guests dining with us, and the oven broke that day with nobody able to come out and fix it. So that was great!

 

Q:          What do you rustle up after a shift / on your day off?

As I mentioned before, mussels are a go-to on my day off, and after a shift something quick like pesto pasta or a proper tasty sandwich is usually what I go for.

 

Q:          Dinner party guests….who are you inviting round?

Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay. I would love to hear all the early stories from Marco’s restaurant Harvey’s. Also, everyone on Clarkson’s Farm!