The Carlton Park Hotel, Rotherham

The Carlton Park Hotel, Rotherham, are offering 25 per cent off your A La Carte food bill from Sunday to Thursday. With such good discount, there has never been a better time to visit the Regency Restaurant at the Carlton Park Hotel.  Head Chef of five years Mark Gaze says: “We offer a seasonally changing menu full of homemade classics with imaginative twists, in opulent surroundings."

www.carltonparkhotel.com/

MEET THE CHEF:

Occupation: Head chef at The Carlton Park Hotel

Age: 31

Q When did you first discover your interest to work with food?

A When I was 16, my mum got me a job a job sweeping the car parks here at The Carlton Park Hotel - my mum was the restaurant manager and my two brothers were waiters. This was the start of my career really, I swept my way up from there, so to speak. I began helping out in the kitchen, watching and learning from the chefs all of the time, then I trained to get my  qualifications in food and eventually landed the position of head chef.

Q Is there a dish on the menu you would personally recommend?

A The a la carte menu is fabulous, I would recommend every dish, but my personal favourite is the rack of lamb. It’s a cut of meat that not many people buy at home, so I’d recommend people to try it; I always try to order something I don’t regularly eat at home – be adventurous.

Q Do you prefer sweet or savoury?

A Savoury, I’m sweet enough.

Q What would be your food heaven?

A My ultimate food heaven would be sitting in a French Brassiere with Marco Pierre White, sipping a glass of Chateauneuf Du Pape and sampling some of their fine cheeses. 

Q What would be your food hell?

A My ultimate food hell would be the opposite:  Sitting in a motorway services’ café with an expensive and dodgy fry up.

Q What is your favourite style of world?

A Classic French – My favourite cooking style and my favourite food to eat.

Q What is your favourite spice to cook with?

A Any Indian spices, curries are a speciality of mine.

Q What is your favourite cookbook?

A The French Brasserie Cookbook: The Heart of French Home Cooking by Daniel Galmiche. No matter how long you’ve been in the industry, there’s always something new you can learn from a cookbook. I continue to find tips and advice that I can put into practice in my kitchen.

Q Do you admire the work of any TV chefs?

A Jamie Oliver for the impact he’s made on so many people’s lives; teaching people the nutritional values of food, and fresh home cooking made easy.

Q What are the pros and cons of working in the kitchen?

A I love what i do, so i get a great feeling and sense of satisfaction from working in the kitchen, but you’re under a lot of pressure so you’ve got to be prepared to work hard.

Q What is your favourite gadget in the kitchen?

A To be honest I don’t really use gadgets that much.  Great quality of food and presentation comes not from using gadgets but from a willingness to learn and being creative.

Q What are your main rules of the kitchen?

A If you work hard, I’m happy.

Q In no more than five words, how would you describe your food?

A Home-made, classic favourites, modern twists.