10 questions with Adam Smith

New to the CODE app this week is Woven by Adam Smith, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Coworth Park, part of The Dorchester Collection, set in the beautiful Berkshire countryside.

Throughout March, CODE members can enjoy dinner at Woven by Adam Smith for the price of lunch; a lovely seasonal treat to coincide with the arrival of spring. To celebrate the offer, we took the chance to get to know chef and Roux Scholar Adam Smith.

What’s the most underrated dish on the menu?

“We’ve got a dish that’s become quite popular actually. It’s basically jellied Devon eels. We work with the Devon Eel Company who do the most amazing eels farmed in a sustainable way. As soon as people read jellied eels, they automatically start screwing their face up and thinking of something soft and mushy in a jar in South East London somewhere. Which I can appreciate is not to everybody’s taste; I personally quite like them. But nine times out of ten when people say “I don’t want the eels”, when they have it, it’s their favourite dish because it’s not what they expect. It works in our favour that way because it starts off one way and usually ends up winning them round.”

What’s your favourite place to go after hours?

“Where we are, we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere so I drive everywhere. When I get out of work at whatever time it is, I just go home. My drive home is about 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. That’s my cool down time, so I just put the radio on. Sometimes it’s loud and lively, sometimes a bit more subdued.”

What’s your secret London tip?

“On days off at this time of year when it’s cold enough that you can still wear your coat but it’s sunny enough that you don’t have to have an umbrella, I get the train into Waterloo after I’ve done the school run and just walk up through St James’s Park and Green Park and be a bit of a tourist, pottering around and enjoying the atmosphere. You don’t have to do anything big or extravagant or spend loads of money, just grab a coffee, maybe some lunch, maybe do some windowshopping.”

What’s the best thing you can do with £20 in London?

“For £20, I’d find a good coffee shop and have a coffee and a pastry. There are bakeries popping up everywhere at the minute so there’s always somewhere new to try. Michael Kwan left The Dorchester to open Onsu in Soho. I tried that the other day and that was great. Nicolas Rouzaud down in Burlington Arcade just off Piccadilly, that’s another one that’s on the list to try.”

Where do you go when you want to splurge?

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to be a regular anywhere; it’s a curse of the trade. When I do go out, I always look to try somewhere new. Last week, I was up in North Yorkshire at Mýse and I went to BiBi Mayfair recently, which I thought was amazing. They’re the sort of places I’ll go.”

Which CODE offers are you going to be snapping up?

“Ikoyi [up to 30% off the tasting menu]. It’s a very very special restaurant but it comes with a price tag.”

What’s your favourite thing to cook at home?

“My daughter, [whose taste] I would describe as very beige, likes chicken a lot. One of our favourites is marinated chicken thighs, which I cook in a really hot oven, served in the middle of the table, with some pita breads, some grilled halloumi, some chargrilled broccoli with a bit of garlic, some cucumber sticks because she likes them, then people can build their own. When we go out, she’s more adventurous, but at home, she reverts back to beige.”

Which element of your job do you like most and like least?

“It’s actually the same answer for both of these and it’s the people. We’ve got a big team here and a lot of people have been here for a long time. It gives me so much satisfaction watching them grow and develop. Our whole existence in hospitality is built around making other people happy. There’s nothing better than when you speak to someone and you can tell they’re completely blown away. On the flipside the biggest pain, the frustration, is also the people. We can’t please everybody no matter how hard we try.”

What are your favourite and least favourite ingredients?

I love shellfish. Until I started in the industry, I’d never had any exposure to shellfish other than the odd prawn and mayonnaise sandwich. I just love it whether it’s crab, lobster, langoustines, Mylor prawns. My least favourite ingredient is bell peppers. I just can’t stand them!”

When you’re not working in a restaurant or eating in a restaurant, where will we find you?

“Currently I’m training for a charity boxing match [for Prept. Foundation]. At the minute, every spare moment when I’m not at work, I’m trying to get myself ready for that.”