We caught up with James in a rare moment of calm at the Pipe and Glass – here's what he had to say.
James, what’s your first food memory?
Yorkshire pudding is, I think, the first dish I ever made (and loved to eat!) when I was about five or six years old. I can remember cracking the eggs and whisking like mad, then my Mum would say: “Carry on, they need more air.” But I think that was just a ploy to keep me occupied: nothing to do with her recipe!
Who or what inspired you when you were growing up?
I know it’s a chefs’ cliché but I would have to say my Mum. She’s a great cook. I was baking Victoria sponge with her and winning first prize at The Filey Allotment Society Annual Show while my mates were off playing footy. And which chef(s) have inspired you? There are loads. But I would have to say chefs like Terry Laybourne, Nigel Howarth, Paul Heathcote and Andrew Pern: great northern chefs who have shown what you can do with a passion for simple regional produce and dishes. Chefs like them showed that you could eat restaurant quality hot pot or black pudding dishes. I think they have hugely influenced the food we eat in restaurants and gastropubs today. Another real inspiration is Raymond Blanc. He’s a true gentleman and a great cook, and his restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, is a fantastic place.
Name your three favourite ingredients
All game, English asparagus and forced Yorkshire rhubarb.
…and the one ingredient you couldn’t be without.Salt.
What’s your favourite restaurant (and you’re not allowed to say The Pipe and Glass!)?
We don’t get out much! But I would say Simpsons Restaurant in Birmingham. I still love the Star at Harome, and if we are out for tea with our kids – Pizza Express.
And your favourite cookbook (and you’re not allowed to say On the Menu!)?
It’s hard to choose just one as I have a vast collection lining the shelves in the aptly named Chefs’ Library, part of our private dining room at The Pipe and Glass. I buy cookbooks in the same way that Kate buys new shoes. But I love White Heat by Marco Pierre White, originally published in 1990: it was a true inspiration at the time for young chefs like myself, influencing generations of chefs to cook in the manner that we all do today. It has stunning food photography by Bob Carlos Clarke (including kitchen images of a very young Gordon Ramsay) and straight-to-the-point writing from Marco. Some of his quotes from the book are fantastic: 'fingers were made for burning'! I think this book really made cheffing something to be proud of as a profession.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without at The Pipe and Glass Inn?
My Athanor stove – the Ferrari of cookers. It cost about £50,000 six years ago, but is still worth every penny. It still looks brand new and is used for 14 hours a day, nearly every day.
Have you ever dropped a culinary clanger?
When I was in my first year at college, I was making lemon meringue pies and the Kenwood mixer fell off the bench and fell apart. No one saw it happen so I carried on and made four great big pies, but only sold one portion – and guess what was in that portion? A nut and bolt. My tutor made me go out and apologise personally to the diner who’d bought it – that certainly taught me a lesson!
What’s your guilty food pleasure? Beans on toast.
What would you choose to be your last meal? A massive shellfish platter, eaten overlooking the Caribbean, washed down with a bottle of good white Burgundy.