Thornton Hall Hotel head chef Hywel Griffith _320
HE may only be 24, but what Thornton Hall Hotel head chef Hywel Griffith lacks in years, he makes up for in experience.
Welsh-born Hywel went straight from catering college in Bangor to what he describes as a ‘baptism of fire’ at one of London’s top hotels, the five star Lanesborough in Hyde park.
Hywel, known affectionately as ‘H’ , was still a teenager when he was ‘hurled in at the deep end’.
But for three years there Hywel fine-honed his culinary craft, learning the art of fine dining level chef-ing.
So how did he make such a leap?
Says Hywel: "My college lecturer at Bangor knew the head chef at the Lanesborough and recommended me. I was at an age where I didn’t think about it a great deal.
"If I’d known what was coming I probably would have panicked like hell!
"But the experience, not to mention the culture shock, was tremendous. With hindsight it was at the Lanesborough where I learned my trade. I learned the meaning of quality, speed and efficiency and, more than anything else, outlook.
"You judge your cooking from the customer’s reaction and viewpoint – not your own."
Hywel continued his education cooking for the prestigious Arkle restaurant at the Chester Grosvenor for a further three years.
Earlier this year, however, he took up his current position of head chef at Wirral’s four-star Thornton Hall Hotel.
"It was time for a change," he says. "I wanted a fresh role with new challenges."
Hywel says he steers away from relying on his favourite dishes: "I love food. I love cooking for my girlfriend and family, which is really where my desire to go into cooking as a career came from, cooking at home with my mum.
"I have a modern type British/French style of cooking and I love preparing meat and fish dishes. But I also love vegetarian. It’s more of challenge to make a really tasty vegetarian meal.
"I want to keep pushing myself as a chef and keep learning. That’s how you keep your standards high."
As well as the menu at Thornton Hall Hotel, It is Hywel’s responsibility to order all the top class local food and it’s a job he takes seriously: "Wirral is blessed with fantastic local suppliers for meat, fish and veg. It is vital for our standards and for our customers’ enjoyment that we get our ingredients right."