If you tune into tonight’s final of BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals (8pm BBC2) you will witness the exceptional talents of Steve Barringer. Born in Bedford and brought up in Westoning, Steve began his culinary career at Flitwick Manor under the guidance of head chef, Richard Walker. Ten years on and he is impressing Roux royalty on our TV screens and could be crowned Masterchef champion in about an hours time…
This afternoon The Clanger chatted exclusively to Steve to find out why he entered the competition, how it feels to cook for 34 of the world’s top chefs and the burning question: is Monica’s as petrifying as she looks?
BEDFORD CLANGER: What inspired you to enter Masterchef?
STEVE BARRINGER: I wanted the opportunity to showcase my skills as most of my friends and family don’t get the chance to see what I do. They know I’m a good cook ( I’ve been doing it since I was 15) but they just think I cook in posh places! It was the chance to demonstrate exactly what I do to a very high standard.
BC: Did you plan enough menus to get through to the final, or did you think that might jinx things?
SB: I planned my classic menu and the 2 course meal that I cooked for the critics, but other than that, no. When I entered I didn’t think I’d get this far as you can never know what you’ll be up against. I’ve been competing directly against Clare since day one of Masterchef so we are both aware of how good each other is. My head is so full of menu ideas and I’ve just been going all out at every stage. While I’m writing the menus I’m constantly thinking of what I can add to my dishes to set them apart from the rest and I try and use quirky ingredients. I added crackle crystals to my chocolate dessert as I knew Greg would love them and it would be an unexpected surprise. I hope that my dishes represent me – my personality on a plate.
BC: What was the most daunting challenge?
SB: All of them! Going to cook at Pied a Terre, going to Spain to cook and of course cooking for 34 of the best chefs in the world were up there though. When we cooked for the chefs the room was full of people I admire, so there was a lot of pressure to impress them.
BC: Is cooking a natural talent or can anyone learn?
SB:A bit of both I think. You’ve got to have a love for it and really want to succeed if you’re going to do it professionally. I really believe that if you want to do something enough and you work hard enough then you can achieve it. However, if someone doesn’t want to learn to cook then it’s very hard to teach them.
BC: Which chef do you most admire?
SB: I’m not just saying this, but I have always admired Michel Roux Jr – in fact the whole Roux family! I’ve bought all his cookery books and love his style of cooking. I also really like Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsey. Having said that, the chef I most admire is the first head chef I worked for when I was 15: Richard Walker at Flitwick Manor. He is passionate about helping young chefs achieve their potential and very early on he recognised that I had the ‘food bug’ and encouraged me to get more invovled in the kitchen. We still get on really well and we speak pretty much daily.
BC: Where would you like to be in five years time?
SB:In five years time I’ll be 30 and I’d like to be head chef somewhere and have acheived a Michelin star. I would love to open a restaurant in Bedfordshire as there are very few fine dining venues here apart from Paris House in Woburn.
BC: Do you need to have eaten Michelin star food to cook Michelin star food?
SB: I would say so, yes, as you need an understanding of what you need to do to achieve that standard. My fiancee is a pastry chef (we work together) and we both love food, so we’ve eaten at about 29 different Michelin starred restaurants. Having tasted top quality food you then know what is expected to reach that high standard.
BC: What’s your favourite food to cook at home?
SB:Definitely not fine dining! I cook simple, hearty, homely meals such as stews and shepherds pie. I’m the one pot wonder at home!
BC: Will you be cooking Christmas dinner this year?
SB:This is the first Christmas in ten years when I haven’t been working, so I’m looking forward to having my turkey cooked for me. However, I may have to have two Christmas dinners, as both my parents and my fiancee’s parents have invited us!
BC: And finally, is Monica Galetti as scary as she seems?
SB: Not at all. If she likes you then she’s lovely and she’s always given me really positive feedback on my food so I can’t complain! Although she’s quite intimidating, I’ve always tried to have a laugh with her and in fact I got on really well with her.
Good luck Steve! Bedford’s behind you!
