The All In One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: John Williams MBE

The Executive Chef of the Ritz has had an illustrious career. In 2007 he became the first British chef to receive a CMA for services to French cooking by the French government, followed by an MBE in 2008.

Earlier this year he was awarded the Tatler Lifetime Achievement Award. “To be honest it is marvellous, a wonderful honour to receive such an accolade, however it is also a little bit alarming to receive a lifetime achievement award when I am still very much alive and cooking. I haven’t been put out to pasture just yet!”

Williams became a chef because of two individuals. “The first and most important influence was my mother. It was through her that I was first exposed to cooking and first learned about different dishes, cooking methods, ingredients and seasonality. The second individual that inspired me to take up cooking was ‘The Galloping Gourmet’ Graham Kerr. I used to watch his show growing up and would see Kerr visiting the finest restaurants, subsequently preparing the finest dishes and then enjoying them with a liberal volume of wine and the company of a good looking female audience member, which I presumed was the life that all chefs enjoyed.”

Classic French chef Michel Bourdin, was another big influence. “He has an outstanding knowledge of haute cuisine and a great respect for British tradition. Furthermore, he completely understands hotel service and the need for menus to suit the different food and beverage outlets within a hotel.”

Williams feels that the current craze for televised cookery programmes misrepresents the amount of hard work required to run a restaurant. “One of the biggest misconceptions about being a chef is people underestimating how much preparation is required to get the ingredients to a point where they can be made in to a meal. I think that contemporary cookery shows generally show all ingredients in a state of readiness without showing all of the work required to prepare them, such as cleaning and filleting fish, or cleaning and butchering a carcass. These are all essential and time-consuming skills for chefs to possess before they can even begin to cook a dish.”

“Someone starting out as a chef has to focus on their apprenticeship and use it as an opportunity for learning and understanding the essential basics of cookery. Work within a structured organisation that has a progressive educational path where you will learn basics such as baking, poaching, braising and sautéing. Once you are fluent in these elements then aim to work for an excellent chef who will refine your skills by teaching you about the best ingredients, best flavours and best cooking methods.”

Williams’ last meal would be a wholesome springtime dish: “fricassee of langoustines, broad beans, asparagus and verbena. This flavour combination is delicate and fresh. It is the perfect meal.”