Chefs
Masterchef pub star: “In England we've been brought up on pubs - restaurants are French”
Anton Piotrowski, chef patron of the Treby Arms in Sparkwell, Devon, which came 19th in 2015’s Top 50 Gastropubs, mentored this year's contestants on screen at his pub.
He said: “It was awesome. I was just as nervous as those guys because I knew exactly how they felt. It is quite a major change in your life when you’re doing a large-scale TV series. It can change chefs that haven’t been seen before and give them a bit of a boozer.”
Piotrowski said he was happy to see pubs gaining more recognition as some of the best dining establishments in the country.
“The best thing about England is we’ve been brought up on pubs and that’s our culture – restaurants are French,” he said, adding: “I always say to people what we’re doing is great food in a boozer – and that’s all I’ve ever wanted it to be – but I think certain people can’t get that.
“A lot of people see a Michelin star and think you’ve got to have silver service and white tablecloths.”
Despite his acclaim though, Piotrowski isn’t looking for a second star.
“I’ve never cooked for any of the accolades I’ve ever achieved,” he said. “I just cook and I love what I do for a job. I love having a pint at the end of the day, that’s why I bought a pub. I’d rather go and sit in a pub and have a really good meal than sit in a room being quiet.
“If you were going to go to Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road you would be looking at about £500. The good thing about the pub is it brings food to everyone in the UK, not just people that have loads of money in their wallet,” he added.
“We don’t just serve £80 tasting menus, we serve fish and chips, sausage and mash and bar snacks – it’s more accessible to everyone.”
Having recently taken on an executive chef role at Alice in Wonderland-themed Devon hotel Glazebrook House, Piotrowski said he had no new plans for the foreseeable future and wanted to focus on his existing projects.
