All In London talks to William Drabble

Where do you source your ingredients?
I source my ingredients through local producers, only with the highest quality. I get my seafood caught daily from the south coast and shellfish from Scotland, and the meat I get from Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire.

Which are your favourite London restaurants?
To be honest I don’t have much chance to eat out these days, I am so busy at the hotel. I am one of those chefs who likes to be in his kitchen. However it’s also very important for me to be out there trying new dishes. I like sampling new openings or recommendations. I am very fond of and curious about Japanese cuisine.

What is your favourite food to experiment with?
To be honest I don’t really have a favourite food, I just love the change of the seasons and seeing what they bring, such as cherries, peaches, strawberries in the summer, game from the 12th of August onwards, fantastic fish and shellfish from all over our coastline, samphire from Norfolk, girolles from Scotland, asparagus, fantastic apples and pears, fresh elderflower and lemon verbena, etc. There is so much to keep you busy thinking of new dishes.

Can you name a food that you regard as a guilty pleasure?
Oh definitely truffles – white truffles and Périgord truffles, we use the white from October to December and we have them delivered 2 – 3 times per week directly from Italy, and the Périgord from the middle of January for a month or so. It’s one of my favourite times of the year! I just love eating them simply… scrambled truffled eggs with plenty of grated truffle on top.

Is there an ingredient you hate using?
Okra, I can’t stand it.

What do you think restaurant trends will be for the year ahead?
I know that my customers rely on great quality food and a seasonal menu. So restaurateurs who keep that in mind should always do well, combined with good service.

What has your most valuable experience as a chef been?
Getting older and hopefully wiser, I suppose you see a lot more problems before they happen and you learn to deal with the pressure better. You also have to learn how to manage people and realise that everyone is different and they all react differently. You have to realise how much of an influence you can have on the people around you as well. You also have to put a lot of thought and planning into things as well, especially here at the St. James where everything comes out of the same kitchen (breakfast, room service, afternoon teas, three party rooms, the bistro and the fine dining restaurant). You have to be very switched on but it can be a great learning experience as you see so many different food operations coming out of one small kitchen.