Curry powder
“I love making curries. This is old school but it’s so versatile. I always have some in the cupboard.”
Lolin anchovies »
“I’ve been to the canning factory where these are made in Catalonia. It’s so old school, everything still done by hand.”
Agrodolce vinegar »
“This is made for us specially by a cava producer, using cava grapes. We use it in most dishes at the restaurant. It has a delicious fresh, sweet taste that works well with fish. You can order it from our website, or buy it here in the restaurant.”
Extra virgin olive oil
“Our friends in Tuscany make just enough of this oil for themselves and for us to use at the restaurant. I can’t cook without it.”
Charcoal grill
“Our kitchen isn’t huge, it’s a normal sized domestic kitchen, but I’m fanatical about proper grills. Food just tastes so much better cooked in this way.“
Peugeot pepper mill »
“The original and best. Beautiful, perfectly designed and effective.”
Jane Grigson’s Fish Book, Jane Grigson »
“This is the book I taught myself to cook from. It’s a well-thumbed copy.”
Nose to Tail Eating, Fergus Henderson »
“A classic. Fergus is a great chef.”
Week In Week Out, Simon Hopkinson »
“Better than [Hopkinson’s more famous cookbook] Roast Chicken & Other Stories, this is a wonderful collection of seasonal stories and recipes.”
Mastering Pasta, Marc Vetri »
“We love making pasta at The Sea Horse. In fact I’m redoing the kitchen so just so we can have pasta boilers and make more of it. It’s so satisfying to do and so delicious to eat. This book is a great introduction to making it.”
Cooking by Hand, Paul Bertolli »
“One of my favourite cookbooks. Paul Bertolli is an amazing chef. He was executive chef at Chez Panisse and co-authored Chez Panisse Cooking. He’s a great maker of things, salumi and his own vinegars etc. That’s something I really admire and aspire to myself.”
Interviews
Mitch Tonks
Inside Jess Murphy’s Kitchen – The chef-owner of Kai picks out an award-winning local beer, a pioneering plant-based cookbook and perhaps the most coveted kitchen item in Ireland
Inside Louise McGuane’s Kitchen – The whiskey bonder picks out some very good local beer, an Irish whiskey-tasting glass named after a mythological race, and her favourite food website
Inside Gill Meller’s Kitchen – The chef and author picks out a good local sea salt, his parents' aluminium egg poacher and the cookbook that opened his eyes to real food and cooking
Inside Elisabeth Luard’s Kitchen – The author of European Peasant Cookery selects a potent South American tea, a tiled Andalusian table and five favourite food books