Five-star dining without leaving home

Cotswold based personal chef Mike Fishpen has cooked with the best: from five-star hotels to top UK restaurants such as Bibendum and Rules (the latter being the oldest in London).

He made his escape from the capital six years ago to settle in the Cotswolds, where he now works with a team of private chefs. It’s a job he loves: “When you’re working in a hotel or restaurant, you rarely get to meet the diners. Cooking in people’s homes means you get interaction; you get to know them, and they can see you at work. It’s very enjoyable.”

Mike, what’s your favourite Cotswold produce?

When I moved here, I started using Cotswold Gold rapeseed oil (www.cotswoldgold.co.uk) for all my cooking. It’s said to be healthier than olive oil: certainly, less fatty. I’ve got a very good cheese-maker – Paxton & Whitfield in Bourton-on-the-Water (paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk) - who’ve also got a place in London. The funny thing is that I was buying from them via a postal service when they rang and said, “You do know we’re also round the corner from you?” I only found out last year!

What’s the biggest mistake people make when ordering menus for private dinners?

If people want anything complicated, I always check I can cook it in their kitchen, in terms of oven, equipment, and so on. There are only two things I won’t do. I’ve done a sushi course, but it takes seven years to become a sushi master. And I won’t make soufflés because, unlike a restaurant, you’ve only got one chance of getting it right. That’s not easy when everybody has different ovens.

Tell us about the most unusual request you’ve ever had...

An Australian couple, who’d brought over frozen kangaroo and crocodile meat, asked me to make a stew. With crocodile, there are four long fillets on the tail: the only edible part. In one restaurant, I used to do a really nice recipe of marinating the meat in Pernod overnight, with fresh dill; then pan-frying, and serving with rice and vegetables.

Who would your dream dinner party consist of (from past, present or future)?

I’d invite classically-trained chefs, past and present, like Escoffier, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes. And I’d cook my signature pan-fried Devon scallops and Cornish white ponzu crab starter; beef wellington; then chocolate fondant.

Any wine tips?

I’ve got a white Cotswold Hills in front of me, called Ortega (www.cotswoldhills.org.uk): very nice with fish. Strangely, although I cook with wine, I don’t tend to drink it...though I do enjoy Sauternes with dessert. I have a sweet tooth!

What do you cook at home for friends?

Believe it or not, I don’t do a lot of entertaining. Most people work in the week and have the weekends off, and I’m the opposite. In summer, though, there’s nothing I like more than making fresh dough, a great sauce, and knocking up some lovely fresh pizzas in my Gozney oven. (It gets extremely hot and produces a nice crispy crust.) Favourite topping? Sliced fillet steak marinated with barbecue sauce, with rocket and parmesan.

Find out more about Mike at www.personalchef.me.uk