J’AIME JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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F O O D & D R I N K A foray into the unknown STAFFORDSHIRE-BORN CHEF MATT WILLDIGG TALKS ALL THINGS MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS, FORAGING AND FINDING BALANCE THROUGH HIS NEW BUSINESS WITH KATY EDGINGTON Chef Matt Willdigg impressed judges, critics and audiences alike when he made it to finals week as one of the last six contenders in MasterChef: The Professionals 2021, which aired on BBC One last November and December. With stages at the likes of Hibiscus, The Fat, Duck, Quay and Whatley Manor under his belt, as well as stints at Murano and Hipping Hall, Matt’s culinary pedigree is impressive and fine dining has taken him to the other side of the world - a long way from his roots in Staffordshire. Matt grew up in the creative county - he still has family living in Burntwood and Birmingham - and his first time in a professional kitchen was at The Moat House at Acton Trussell, aged just 16. His apprenticeship there was a stepping stone to a career behind the pass, opening his eyes to the world of gastronomy. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the kitchen. I was a bit crazy and hard to control growing up, but the kitchen environment seemed a perfect match. I could FORAGING IS AT THE HEART OF MATT AND OLI’S CULINARY ETHOS MATT HAS SET UP FORAY CATERING WITH CLOSE FRIEND AND FORMER MASTERCHEF FINALIST OLI MARTIN be myself, the hours didn’t bother me, and I got to try new things all the time,” Matt tells us. “I was quite fussy when I was growing up, so it was quite hard for my mum to feed me. It’s only through being in the kitchen - trying things how they’re meant to be cooked and seasoned - that I fell in love with cooking and the history of food. I can lose myself for hours down rabbit holes about fermenting or pickling or old plants that have been forgotten.” Matt moved to London at 18, where his experiences at the height of the molecular gastronomy trend blew him away. His early days as a chef were heavily influenced by the two colossi of the time: Heston Blumenthal - “I was a bit obsessed with him for a while” - and Gordon Ramsay. “I remember watching him on Boiling Point and The F Word before I was a chef, swearing and shouting, and I thought he was amazing. Obviously times change and that’s not the way kitchens should be anymore, but he was a big inspiration for sure,” says Matt. Five years spent working in Australia inevitably impacted Matt’s development as a chef, too, particularly given the 38 www.jaimemagazine.com
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Page 1 and 2: J’AIME Y O U R L O C A L L U X U
Page 3 and 4: Welcome to J’AIME It’s the star
Page 5 and 6: LUXURY KITCHENS & INTERIORS BUILT I
Page 7 and 8: e a bit personal, I’d have to thi
Page 9 and 10: will be exhibiting a collection of
Page 11 and 12: singing. We sing in parts so we hav
Page 14 and 15: P R O P E RTY Property of the Month
Page 16 and 17: P R O P E RTY A different approach
Page 18 and 19: I N T E R I O R S Peri nice THE col
Page 20 and 21: WISTFUL RECOLLECTIONS CANVAS CUSHIO
Page 22 and 23: I N T E R I O R S Time to get organ
Page 24 and 25: £329 INDUSTRIAL KIDS LOCKER STORAG
Page 26 and 27: I N T E R I O R S Feline fierce AS
Page 28 and 29: £25 £82 £26 SET OF FOUR SAFARI C
Page 30 and 31: G I F T G U I D E To the one I love
Page 32 and 33: £16.50 £2,655 £45 PLATINUM HEART
Page 34 and 35: F E AT U R E In search of liquid go
Page 36 and 37: F O O D & D R I N K A new dawn for
Page 40 and 41: wide-ranging Asian influences in fo
Page 42 and 43: F O O D & D R I N K The power of pl
Page 44 and 45: everyone in the UK made the simple
Page 46 and 47: F O O D & D R I N K The taste of vi
Page 48 and 49: H E A LT H Move to the beat PRIMARY
Page 50 and 51: family in Shropshire, and John, who
Page 52 and 53: T R AV E L New year, new opportunit
Page 54 and 55: EXPERIENCE GOLDEN AGE ITALIAN GLAMO
Page 56 and 57: W H AT ’ S O N What’s on this m
Page 58 and 59: WHAT: VAMOS THEATRE: DEAD GOOD WHER
Page 60 and 61: I N T H E N E W S Original art show
Page 62 and 63: FA S H I O N Best foot forward A ST
Page 64 and 65: B E AU T Y Beauty resolutions for h
Page 66 and 67: H E A LT H Looking after your skin

J’AIME JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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