Operations director of The Angel Inn at Hetton, Bruce Elsworth, talks to Daryl Ames in the first of a series of features focusing on Craven’s best chefs

Empty plates and happy customers are the ultimate rewards for award-winning chef Bruce Elsworth.

Bruce, operations director of The Angel Inn, Hetton, believes one of the keys to being a successful chef lies in the ingredients.

“It’s all about the raw produce,” said Bruce, 38, who lives in Embsay.

“This is the starting block. If you have food that is locally produced and is seasonal, then you’re halfway there.

“Sometimes styles can change, depending on what foods are available on the market.

“I like to keep it simple. You don’t need to have too many flavours on the plate.”

Bruce, 38, a member of Master Chefs of Great Britain, won the Acorn Award in 2005. In the same year, he was a Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition finalist and was the third placed finalist in the Chefs Guild competition. But he started his catering career with a cookery course at Craven College, after which he got a job as a commis chef at The Angel and progressed to chef de partie.

He then moved to Michelin-star restaurant, Rascasse in Leeds, where he was demi chef de partie. He spent 20 months working under acclaimed Michelin-star chef Nigel Haworth and was promoted to full chef de partie and later to chef saucier.

He returned to The Angel 14 years ago as senior chef de partie, eventually becoming head chef at the age of 24.

In 2004, prior to the death of proprietor Denis Watkins, he was appointed operations director at The Angel.

The Angel, which has two rosettes from the AA, is currently in the final of The Great British Pub Awards and the Wine Pub of the Year.

“We try to produce the best we can on a daily basis,” said Bruce. “We aim to deliver the whole package, which includes both the food and service.”

Bruce was quick to give credit to his team of eight chefs, saying: “I couldn’t operate without them.”

He also said that the stereotypes about chefs spending long hours in hot kitchens were not always true.

“Chefs can spend hours in hot kitchens, especially with the weather we’ve had, but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be,” he said. “We get the rewards by having empty plates and happy customers.”

Recipe

Gazpacho

Bruce recommends this very simple but refreshing cold starter, which is just perfect for the heatwave we’ve been experiencing

Ingredients

¼ box of tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 red peppers (de-seeded)
¼ cucumber (chopped)
1 ½ red onions (chopped)
¼ bag of basil (picked)
4oz breadcrumbs
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1/8th pint olive oil
¼ pint white wine vinegar
150g caster sugar
seasoning

Method

Add all the ingredients to a food blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve chilled