On Friday I was lucky enough to get some time with Aidan Brooks, a trainee chef and blogger currently working in Barcelona. He’s only back for a few days holiday before returning to a busy kitchen, so it was a pleasure to steal him for the afternoon.

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As you’ll see in the video we had a fascinating chat about his passion for cooking and blogging, some of his influences and inspirations and the British dishes he misses when he’s away. Aidan mentioned a whole load of interesting people and places, so we put together a list for you to explore further.

Interview Notes

00:45 - Aidan trained at Westminster Kingsway College on the three year Professional Chef Diploma.

02:35 - Aidan visited Anatolia in Hackney for Turkish food prepared on an open grill, Bacchus in Hoxton for some unusual taste combinations and Ottolenghi in Islington for vegetarian cuisine.

03:53 - The British chefs Aidan admires include Heston Blumenthal, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fergus Henderson of Farringdon restaurant St John.

04:52 - Some of the Spanish chefs that inspire Aidan are Ferran Adrià, Carles Abellan (his boss at Comerç 24), Quique DaCosta and The Roca Brothers, who run El Celler de Can Roca in Girona.

06:39 - That deathbed-worthy Tuscan roast ham can be found at Gallo Nero II in Stoke Newington, yum!

To finish off we asked Aidan to recommend some more food blogs to get your tastebuds tingling - here’s what he came up with:

Acme Instant Food
blog.khymos
Can Cook Must Cook
Columbus Foodie
Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once
Dos Hermanos
Eating Asia
Eating Britain
The Foodie List
Little Foodies
Living To Eat
Nami-nami
Rambling Spoon
Tigers And Strawberries

Aidan may have deserted us (and Marmite) for the lure of European cooking but this talented young British chef is definitely one to watch. Keep up to date with all the latest news on his blog, Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef and check out his TrustedPlaces profile here.

Who should we interview next? Can you recommend someone interesting? Get in touch!