Newby Meets Adam Handling

Our Newby Tea Ambassador, award-winning chef Adam Handling, is a busy man. Having just announced the forthcoming opening of his own concept restaurant, The Frog in London’s Spitalfields, Handling is preparing for the launch in June. We spoke to Adam about his journey so far, inspiring chefs and the best advice he ever got.

At 27, you have already built quite a collection of awards, including Scottish Chef of the Year and the British Culinary Foundation’s Chef of the Year. Are awards important to you?

I’m naturally very driven and ambitious – and maybe a touch competitive! – so I do like winning awards. They’re helpful in building up your profile and making people in the industry sit up and take notice of you. I think that’s what’s been so important about them up to this point. What’s more important to me now is reaching my goals. I’d like my new stand-alone restaurant to become a real favourite with Londoners. That’s a true ‘award’.

What’s the vibe like in the Handling kitchen?

Passionate. I want all my chefs to be as passionate as me about creating amazing dishes that really impress diners. I wrote a cook book called ‘Smile or Get Out of the Kitchen’ because I think it’s so important to enjoy what you do. You have to as a chef, as it really becomes your life. My current team are great; we work so well together – some might even say like clockwork. Everyone knows what they’re doing, so there’s no chaos!

You’re a great exponent of Asian cooking. Do you find tea pairs well with Asian dishes?

Absolutely. The fragrant aromas and tastes in many Newby Teas are great in lots of dishes. In particular, the green tea flavours work well in Asian-inspired desserts.

What did you learn from your experience on MasterChef: The Professionals?

I learnt a lot about myself and about what defines me as a chef. It was an experience I won’t forget –I’m sure that competing against other very talented chefs really motivated me to get where I am today. MasterChef is such a well-known programme that I do feel proud to have been part of it.

Tell us about your dish ‘Mother’.

It’s a dish made with celeriac and truffle which I created for my mother on the opening of my first central London restaurant and, although the type of truffle changes with the seasons, it has been on the menu since day 1. I wanted diners to connect with this dish as much as possible and decided to change its presentation: it’s now served in a wooden jewellery box which diners need a key to open.

What is the best piece of advice you've been given by a chef you have worked with?

Always write everything down, always ask the question why, always do your research on an ingredient and always, always taste.

You have a very loyal team who have been with you for some time. Why do you think this is?

They’ve been with me since before I opened my first restaurant in London, so we all know each other’s roles and what makes each other tick. As long as their job is done, I don’t mind if they want to spend the rest of the day playing and developing dishes, having fun and trying things out. I want my staff to explore their creativity, even if it doesn’t always end up on the menu. Our fermented teas, using Newby products, are a perfect example – it started as an experiment and now we love them and are finding ways to feature them on our menus.

Who or what inspires you to create in the kitchen?

I’m inspired by a variety of chefs but it’s fair to say that Sat Bains has been a real inspiration. I love everything about his food. I love his ethos, the style of his plating and the amazing techniques he uses. Being mentored by Massimo Bottura’s restaurant (the high-ranking Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy) really prompted me to look at food differently. Massimo taught me to push myself to look at a good plate of food and then think again about how it could be even better: making an emotion through flavours or considering how it could be made more personal to me as a chef. Through his food, you can tell he is always looking at how to evolve traditional dishes and they tend to reflect his own experiences – which has prompted me to consider how my dishes and menu reflect my experiences. A big inspiration comes from my travels. I’ve been lucky enough to go to some amazing places, including nearly every country in Asia, which prompted me to consider using different cooking techniques as well as different flavour combinations. I’m also starting to use my own life experiences, and the people around me, as inspiration for menu concepts. However, even more than this, I eat to be inspired. I’m always hungry, which means I’m always tasting foods and thinking what can I do with them to make a dish that will really mean something.

What can diners expect if they come for dinner at The Frog?

There are lots of new ideas I’m really looking forward to implementing at The Frog. I’ve spent a long time perfecting my cooking, growing as a chef and working out exactly what I want the style of my food to be, and I’m thrilled that I can now show diners menus that really showcase our creativity in a brand new setting. The Frog is also all about giving a space to other young creatives too, whether that’s DJs, wine-makers, artists or food producers, so there will always be something going on. I’m really proud of my new venture and what it stands for. There’s a real buzz about the place already and things are only going to get bigger and better!

Win a copy of Adam's cookbook and a selection of Newby Teas now!  Also, check out his Top 5 Newby Tea recommendations.