Josh Angus

Chef Name: Josh Angus

Age: 33

Title: Group Head Chef

Awards:

1 Michelin star – Hide

3 AA Rosettes

Best Newcomer Restaurant, Food & Travel Awards, 2019

GQ Best Restaurant in the UK, 2019

Great British Menu, 2020

How old were you when you started cooking professionally? 

18, I started as an apprentice – one-day a week in college at Sheffield Catering College, and the rest of the week in a restaurant.

What’s your earliest and fondest first memory of food? 

I would say my nan’s rabbit stew. Also my mum’s chocolate roulade and pavlovas.

Which chefs inspire you most and why? 

Raymond Blanc – the first Michelin kitchen I ever worked in, Le Manoir, was just a beautiful place and the passion he has for ingredients, still to this day, is remarkable.

Gordon Ramsay – just because of everything he has achieved, he has done it all. Three Michelin stars, TV, has built a massive empire and has a big family.

Ollie Dabbous – I have worked with Ollie for six years now. He has taught me a lot as a mentor in the front of house and the back of house. He sees every little detail, I am still learning from him and just love his style/philosophy on food. 

What are your two favourite cookbooks and why? 

Larousse Gastronomique – it has everything

The French Laundry Cookbook – one of the first real chef books I bought.

Which two ingredients could you not live without?

Salt and garlic.

What is your favourite comfort food to cook at home?

A barbecue with a big fat cote de beouf, smoked bone marrow, garlic king prawns, tomato burrata salad and roasted potatoes.

If you could eat at any Michelin star restaurant in the world today, where would it be and why? 

Frantzen, just to experience it. It looks special.

And who would you take as your guest?

My wife.

What do you look for in a good chef?

Attitude – if someone has a good attitude and is keen to learn then you can teach them the rest. A good work ethic goes a long way in our industry.

What advice would you give to chefs starting their career paths now? 

Learn as much as you can, keep asking questions and be a sponge. Do research into where you want to work, and commit a good amount of time to that kitchen and work your way up, learning everything you can!

Also make sure you are passionate about food. It’s a hard industry with long hours, but if you’re passionate that will keep you going. 

How has the pandemic affected your restaurant? And how did you adapt and evolve throughout?

Obviously the pandemic was a massive blow to our whole industry and we had to shut the restaurant numerous times, but we turned Hide into a takeaway business called Hide at Home, which was very successful and gave us the chance to keep supplying our regulars, and having a small core team of staff employed full time. It also meant I had a purpose and was kept busy. I would say what has affected us the most now we’re open again is the shortage of staff – just less and less people want to work in hospitality after the pandemic.

Personally I am proud of Hide and how we got through the pandemic and came out the other side. Now we’re open we’re busy like usual, and it feels amazing to have customers back dining with us.  

Can you share any wisdom from the experience so far with others? Have you changed? Has your cooking changed?

The pandemic has been an experience of survival for many in our industry, and I don’t wish it on anyone again. I have to be thankful that it could have been worse for me, I have been very fortunate. But I think what I have learnt is that time is more precious now to most people, and for myself more so than ever, so we’re working on making things better for everyone involved

Chef Josh Angus is Head Chef at Hide Restaurant

Website: www.hide.co.uk

Address: 85, Piccadilly, London, UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 203 146 8666

Instagram: @joshanguschef & @hide_restaurant

Twitter: @hide_restaurant

mymuybueno Visits: HIDE

mymuybueno Team
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