Wealden Times | WT197 | July 2018 | Interiors supplement inside

Food
Chef ’s home
cooking
Beverly, Woosy and Toby eat dinner, in their home over the restaurant
Good enough to eat in the restaurant, but quick and easy to
prepare at home - what a chef cooks for his own family
Since opening The Cloudberry restaurant in
Cranbrook in January this year, life has been
very busy for chef Toby Welfare and his wife
Beverley - and catering for family meals between
restaurant busy shifts has not always been easy.
“It can be easy to start grabbing instant food,”
Toby admits. “But the trouble is you don’t feel
great afterwards. The trick is to find food that is
uncomplicated and quick to prepare.”
This is something that son Woody, 9, already
appreciates. He loves dad’s homemade pizza and
pasta, with sliced courgettes sautéed in butter.
“Remember things that you ate as a kid,” says
Toby. “Adapt them, add in extras: a drizzle of
pesto, a blob of mozzarella, or some salsa verde. Try
different combinations, as long as the ingredients
are good it will work.”
Another great chef’s tip is to have a semi-prepared
risotto base ready in the fridge (see opposite). A
composed salad can be treated the same way. With
a couple of additional ingredients, a mix of leaves
and raw vegetables can become a complete meal.
“You just need to have something rich to add in,”
says Toby. “Chicken or cheese, something to lift it.
Change the dressing, add mayo, herbs, whatever
you have in the fridge – asparagus, peas, beans.”
Chicken thighs are another stalwart. “Thighs
have a lot of flavour and are quick to cook. It’s
such a versatile meat. Tarragon goes really well with
chicken, lemon is great, or mushrooms…”
Slotting home cooking into a hectic schedule can
seem a challenge, but as Toby shows with some
good standby staples and a few chef’s shortcuts,
delicious family meals can be rustled up in no time.
wealdentimes.co.uk
130