I am Nick Welford and I’m the chef at Cherwell Boathouse. I used to enjoy helping out at home with my mum, and started cooking them meals aged about 13. Discussing my future with my dad, he suggested becoming a chef as I enjoyed cooking so much too, and I have never looked back.
I have been working at The Cherwell Boathouse since January 2013. My cooking style is modern British using seasonal and, where possible, local produce.
I enjoy working with fish and shellfish, bringing out the subtle flavours, the versatility and variety with ingredients.
My signature dish is a favorite of mine for our New Year’s Eve menu, crab crusted Halibut with shellfish fricassee and lemon caviar. I also enjoy working with tasty well-sourced steaks.
Chinese takeaway is my guilty pleasure when I’m too tired to cook and my favourite places to eat in Oxfordshire are the Magdalen Arms and The White Hart at Fyfield.
The strangest things I’ve ever eaten are lamb’s testicles, which tasted like chicken nuggets, and raw woodcock brain, which is like a cold mousse.
My favourite kind of cuisine is fresh local fish and my inspiration is Raymond Blanc for going so far and being self taught.
LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE
Ingredients:
* 300g of butter
* 300g of caster sugar
* Four eggs
* Zest from two lemons & two more lemons
* 300g self raising flour
Method:
1. Prehead oven to 160C-170C then line a suitable cake tin or deep tray (20cm diameter or similar) with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing machine, then slowly add eggs, one at a time. Once incorporated remove from mixer then slowly add flour and lemon zest folding in carefully with large wooden spoon (the slower you do this the better).
3. Pour mix into cake tin and place in oven to cook for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Once cooked, remove from tray and place on cooling rack.
4. While cooling, get 250ml of water and 250g of caster sugar and the juice of two lemons and bring to boil in a pan for two minutes. While still hot, slowly drizzle liquid over sponge, which will add lemon flavour. Leave to cool. 5. Take 300g of icing sugar and the juice of two lemons and mix until a soft paste.
6. Spread slowly and evenly over sponge and place somewhere cool to set.
7. Once icing is set, it is ready to eat.
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