J'AIME APRIL 2019

stars so just to be a part of it was flattering.
“But these accolades, for me, help to secure bookings,
which is what makes this business successful.”
It should come as little surprise to anyone in the
know that The Boat Inn is attracting such attention.
After all, this is a restaurant which earned a visit
from a Michelin inspector “to see what the fuss was
about” just three-and-a-half weeks after opening.
“There were builders everywhere and it was carnage;
I’d been working so hard to get the place opened and
it was so stressful,” Liam recalls.
But the evidence of a work in progress didn’t deter
Michelin, and The Boat Inn impressed enough to
earn an immediate nod in their coveted guide.
While we chat, Liam keeps one eye on the huge open
kitchen, where his team are cooking up a storm for
the last of the lunchtime stragglers. His eye for detail,
even from a distance, is immaculate, and the fact that
the team are going above and beyond and exceeding
expectations across the board is very much evident.
“We’ve come a long way from where the business
was previously,” says Liam. “Every day we’re making
the menu better, every day we’re making the menu
stronger.
“But I don’t want to be recognised as just a special
occasion restaurant as such; yes we do a tasting
menu, yes we have expensive bottles of wine, yes
we offer some premium products. But we also have
a very good value lunch menu, a very good but
accessible wine list - it’s affordable for people who
want to pop in every week or every fortnight.
“It’s an affluent city, and it’s becoming more of a
trendy city; there’s been a lot of change, and there’s
been a surge in independents, which is great.”
There’s no air of pretension at The Boat; Liam and
his team are happy to let the food do the talking. And
from the bread which is freshly baked every day to
the divine chef ’s snacks which accompany the a la
carte offerings, they certainly have a lot to say.
“From the minute I opened the restaurant, I’ve
always been cooking for the people of Lichfield,”
says Liam.
“It’s all about what I feel people want to come and
eat. It’s not crazy, it’s just honest, and that’s what we
do. It’s food I believe in.”
The tasting menu, however, is where Liam gets to
showcase his culinary chops.
“I do play around with the tasting menu; that’s for
me, and for the guys in the kitchen, to keep them
interested and to push us all. Now, people are starting
to trust us and what we’re doing, and going for the
tasting menu more often, which gives us the chance
to experiment more and to bring in new produce.
“Whether it’s a braised bit of meat, or roasted fish
and chips, or the tasting menu, the one thing I’m
trying to achieve here is that whatever you have when
you come to The Boat, I want it to be something you
can’t do yourself at home.”
While it’s obvious that Liam is meant to be in a
kitchen, cooking wasn’t first on his list when it came
to career options.
“I hated school; I was a late developer and I wasn’t
very attentive, but my family always instilled the
importance of staying in education and getting
qualifications so I stayed on to do my A levels,” he
says.
But beyond education, Liam was
unsure about which career path
to take. Initial thoughts were
towards the RAF or marines but
his parents Cathi and Mike - who
have always been a huge support
for their son - were less keen on
the idea. So after a family meeting,
Liam decided to find another
avenue to pursue.
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking,
and I think you’ve either got the
passion for it or you haven’t,” he
says. “For me, making someone
else happy with what I can do is
the biggest attraction. You can
change someone’s emotions and
make them feel a certain way, just
by cooking for them.”
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