Simon Bradley, new Executive Head Chef at The Macdonald Randolph, talks about taking over and his plans for the restaurant in the future. Before Simon brought his talents to Macdonald Randolph Hotel, he was the Executive Head Chef for two hotels in the Peak District, East Lodge and Callow Hall. At East Lodge he gained the wonderful accolade of three AA Rosettes and at Callow Hall two AA Rosettes

Oxford, and the surrounding country, is home to a number of wonderful restaurants and it was an honour to be asked to take over the reigns of the five-star Macdonald Randolph’s kitchen last year, due to its iconic status in the city.

Running the kitchen here has been extremely rewarding and challenging because no two days are the same. It is an exciting place to be and I have an excellent team supporting me to bring a real focus to the food, whether it be the restaurant, afternoon tea, private dining or conference food.

My food philosophy is simple, I just want to make everything as good as it can be whether a simple smoked salmon sandwich or the aforementioned beef dish.

My influences are based on the seasons and what mother nature has to offer, whether it is starting with grouse in a few weeks time, or at the moment using amazing fruits on our dessert menus and afternoon teas.

My classical training has also played a huge part in my cuisine, but now we like to marry the older techniques with more modern ones to create our own Randolph style.

For example, we have just launched our summer menu which includes some of my favourite produce and ingredients. This summer has been one of the best in recent years because British produce really is at its best.

As well as serving it in The Dining Room, we are also using the produce for our Afternoon Teas where I will be using lavender from my garden with gooseberry compote along with strawberry jelly, which is my take on a classic English trifle.

In the restaurant our Scottish lamb is always a popular choice and as tomatoes are amazing at the moment, I have made a smoked tomato ketchup to serve with it, along with some deep fried courgette flowers, so it really is summer on a plate.

So while I don’t really have a signature dish, one that has stayed on the menu and is very popular is our ‘Tasting of Scottish Beef’ which involves six different cuts of the cow, the fillet, cheek, bone marrow, airdried beef ‘ham’, brined tongue and grilled heart. It is a brilliant dish and one that will stay on at The Randolph for a long time as it showcases the fantastic beef we have from Scotland.

Since joining the team last year, my ambition has been for us to achieve our 3rd rosette and we’ve worked incredibly hard over the last 12 months to make sure we’re on track to do so.

The official awards are announced in September when we will know if our endeavours have been successful.

But in the meantime, I am very proud to walk to work at the Randolph Hotel every day in this beautiful city and fortunate to be a part of such a famous Oxford institution. With the hotel’s 150th year anniversary coming next year, I know we will go from strength to strength.”

TRY IT
The Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Beaumont Street, Oxford
Call 01865 256400 or see macdonaldhotels.co.uk

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