Every month, the Money blog interviews top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more. Today we speak to Brayden Davies, head chef at The Box Tree in Ilkley, West Yorkshire – and a proud Aussie.
My favourite cheap eat for under £15 is… our local butcher/deli, Lishman’s. It has a great range of pork pies, scotch eggs and roasted hams and other bits. I always go for a sausage roll and a custard tart.
The percentage tip you think should be standard is 12.5%… It’s fair for both the guest and the team. Service is hard work and a small tip goes a long way in showing respect for that effort.
Michelin-starred food is the tastiest food there is… because when you’re working at that level, you can afford the best ingredients, even grow your own and have the right team to bring it all together. I choose Kent cherries, Aussie wagyu and prawns from Ireland because starting with the best ingredients gives each dish the strongest foundation. But sometimes, nothing beats a home-cooked meal that’s made with love.
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Australian food v British food… British food wins in the winter. You can’t beat a proper hearty meal when it’s cold outside. Australia wins in the summer, though. Half-baked lobster tails with butter, cooked on the barbie, are just amazing. When I go home to Perth, I’ll always go to my local butcher, Vince, and grab an Aussie wagyu tomahawk to cook on the barbecue with my dad and eat by the pool with the family. You can’t beat it.
If I was prime minister for the day, I would help the industry by… calling out the VAT on hospitality and the rise in national insurance. It’s crippling for independents. Hospitality is the backbone of so many industries. Just look at Germany’s lower VAT rate; it’s a model we should follow.
Chefs shouldn’t try to make Kewpie mayonnaise… There’s just no competing with it.
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