Tell us about your background?
My love of food and cooking came from my upbringing in Hungary, where my family owned five restaurants. Hospitality was in my blood. I was always cooking with my mum and dad at home, especially dishes like stews and broths, which are a staple part of the Hungarian diet.
Being a chef was always something I wanted to do and I could never, ever imagine cooking being a chore, so always knew it would be my ideal job.
After working in a butcher’s and a fishmonger’s as a teenager, I went to culinary school and then worked in one of my family’s restaurants for a while. I came to England in 2005
and started working at Danesfield House Hotel and then the Compleat Angler in Marlow, which is just down the road from Bray and then found out the Hinds Head was recruiting. With Heston’s name above the door, I knew it would be a fantastic company to work for. I initially thought that if things didn’t work out I could work at the Fat Duck instead but, as it turned out, I fell in love with the Hinds Head
What is your approach to cooking?
Everything we produce needs to be of an exceptional standard, which we achieve by constantly striving to get the best out of every ingredient and by treating it with care and respect. Every dish we produce can be related to a traditional British or historic recipe and has a story behind it.
For example, we’ve spent the past four and a half months working on a new dish inspired by Boeuf à la mode, which you would have found at every pub and inn during the early 16th century. Our dishes include braised beef cheek, ox tongue, pickled carrots and onions.
What is your stand-out dish on the menu?
It’s impossible to choose one but I’ll start by saying the Scotch eggs, which are made using quail eggs and is a dish the Hinds Head is famed for. Then dishes such as the tea-smoked salmon with sour cream butter and soda bread, the oxtail & kidney pudding and the quaking pudding dessert. Those dishes have all been on the menu since day one and are so popular we can’t take them off.
How do you go about sourcing the majority of your ingredients?
We make sure that every ingredient we use is from the British Isles, so our beef cheek and ox tongue, for example, comes from British cows, the steaks are from Ireland. The eggs used for the Scotch eggs are sourced locally. As are our veg and herbs.
How would you describe your approach to presentation?
We aim to keep all our dishes looking simple, yet still innovative. It’s about how best to showcase the ingredients we’re using in the best possible way.
What is it that makes the Hinds Head special?
It’s got to be the history of the building, which was built in the 16th century. It was first run as an inn from the early 19th century and has remained as somewhere for people to eat and drink ever since. Considering its size, it’s been extremely well maintained over the years.
Which chefs do you admire the most?
As well as Heston and Ashley [Palmer-Watts], of course, I’d have to say Tom Kerridge. I moved to Marlow the same year he opened the Hand & Flowers. I really admire him, his personality and approach to food.
What are the different considerations that need to be taken into account when cooking in a pub rather than a fine-dining restaurant?
What we strive to do is deliver pub food at the highest level. We’re not a fine-dining restaurant and nor do we want to be. That’s why we don’t have white tablecloths, why diners won’t get an amuse-bouche or a pre-starter or have their wine poured. It’s still a place where people can come in just for a pint. Ultimately, we’re still a pub that we want to feel British, authentic and to maintain that real buzzy, pubby atmosphere.
Do you have any major plans for the Hinds Head in 2016?
Yes, next year we’re looking at our menu again and where we can make changes and additions. In October, it will be 11 years since the pub opened. We’re constantly working on new things, thinking about how we can be better and continue to stand out in the industry.
How does it feel to rank so high in the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs?
It’s something we are very proud of and it’s extremely rewarding. There has never been a day when I haven’t felt proud to work here, it’s always a challenge and, even after five years, it still keeps me on my toes.