At the heart of all his menus are
three principles:
1 – Flavour
Flavour is without a doubt the most important thing when cooking!
Without flavour there is no point to what we do as chefs. We work long and hard to create dishes that taste amazing and through that taste we create memories and rekindle old ones through nostalgia. Some flavours transport you back to your childhood, while others create new memories that will be with you forever.
2 – Seasonality
Quite simply food tastes better when in season. Sometimes our job as chefs is simply to showcase the amazing produce we have in this country.
Seasonality is so important to chefs. We all have our favourite season for produce, whether it’s the first harvest of asparagus, the first shoot of grouse or the first successful forage for wild garlic.
Chefs view the year differently to the rest of the world, when summer ends and autumn starts while people are upset summer is over and the days are getting darker and colder we are getting excited about the arrival of ceps, root vegetables and the start of the game season.
3 – Health Benefits
Traditional cooking methods using excessive amounts of cream, salt, sugar and butter are becoming a thing of the past. This is just an easy way to make something taste good without much skill.
Most natural ingredients have health benefits and so Ben finely tunes his dishes to ensure nutrients and taste are perfectly balanced.
This is what Ben is truly passionate about and this comes across in his menus with the use of different spices, fresh herbs, citrus juices and other ingredients discovered through his travels.
A little snap-shot of my career highlights
The University Arms Hotel
It all started here at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge where I worked when I left school in 1998. I fell in love with this beautiful hotel, the staff, and the lifestyle. It was here I knew I had found my home in catering.
the Royal Cambridge Hotel
My first full time chef position was at the Royal Cambridge Hotel in 2000.
I worked with numerous chefs here who all had a huge impact on me at the start of my career. One of the bar men leant me his copy of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. Reading this and listening to the chefs around me, I started to realise the possibilities open to me as a young chef.
Pub le Ski lodge
In 2002 I went to work in The French Alps at an English restaurant called Pub le Ski lodge. People traveled from all three corners of the Alps to eat The Ski lodge burger! It happened to be next door to Michelin star restaurant Le Farcon but at that time I had no idea what a Michelin star was! I have since been back to eat there.
Café Roux
In 2003 I was lucky to get a work placement for 4 weeks at Café Roux in The Grand Hotel, Amsterdam and had the honor to work on the garnish section while Albert Roux was on the pass.
To this day I can still hear him shouting at me that “the heart of the celery is like gold dust”!
Midsummer House
In 2004 I worked at Midsummer House in Cambridge. This was without a doubt the most influential place I have ever worked. Daniel Clifford’s passion and drive made me see what is possible when you truly believe in your vision.
The standards were extraordinary and staff turnover was high, a level I had never seen before and haven’t seen since but the food was exceptional with flavors I had never experienced and the presentation was meticulous. We served around 15 different types of chocolates with coffee including a Tobacco flavored one.
Compass Group
In 2005 I worked for Compass Group where I cooked for the Queen, Margret Thatcher and Tony Blair. This is also when I starting competing and mentoring other chefs for culinary competitions. I won numerous gold awards in the live kitchen at the prestigious Hotelympia and got silver awards in both junior and senior Compass Chef of the Year.
Gordon Ramsey scholarship
In 2006 I was a semi finalist at the Gordon Ramsey scholarship alongside some of the best chefs in the UK. It was a open kitchen in front of a live audience at Birmingham NEC and we only found out what ingredients we were able to use and given a brief the morning of the competition. Luckily I enjoy working under pressure!
Fat Duck
In July 2008 I spent a month working at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck on a stage. This was a huge learning curve and amazing to see what is truly possible and the level of detail for the whole dining experience. One of the many jobs I had was to dissect the individual cells from a segment of grapefruit for the licorice poached salmon dish!
Graze
In 2008 I went to work at an independent restaurant called Graze in Brighton. It was a very small team and we had no fancy equipment. We were still able to produce some of the best food in Brighton at the time.
Ockenden Manor
In 2009 I worked at Ockenden Manor in West Sussex on the pastry section, I learnt so much here but most notably how to make the best lemon tart in the world!
Rainbow Inn
In 2010, it was time to run my own restaurant kitchen and the Rainbow Inn gave me this opportunity, working with a great kitchen team we worked with beautiful local produce to create some exceptional food.
Movenpick Dessert Chef of the year
In 2013 I won Movenpick Dessert Chef of the year with my Caramalised Kentish pear, pear mousse, pecan crumble, vamilla fromage blanc, crisp pastry and Movenpick pear sorbet. I also got an all expenses paid trip to Switzerland.
Back to School
In 2014 I completed my foundation degree in Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College. After leaving school with pretty much no GCSE’s, this was a huge personal achievement.
YouTube
In 2014 I started my YouTube channel sharing healthy, easy to follow recipes. I was unaware at the time this would be the start of Sulston’s Kitchen.
The Shack
In 2015 whilst training BJJ in Thailand, I got the opportunity to consult on a new concept that became infamous The Shack in Phuket. Here I created the menu and recipes, trained kitchen staff and followed up with further menu development.
I still get tagged in pictures when people are travelling in Thailand and come across The Shack!
Sulston’s Kitchen
In 2016 I set up Sulston’s Kitchen in Tonbridge. We were awarded Best Newcomer of the Year in the Kent Food and Drink Awards that very same year.
TOFS
In 2019 I became Development Chef for TOFS Events, based at The Old Fire Station in Tonbridge. We used the best Kentish produce to create exceptional food for the café and events. We hosted supper clubs and guest chef events including the 2018 and 2019 Master Chef the Professionals winners.
Ben Sulston
2020 has been a challenging time for everyone. During lockdown I have been hosting zoom cookery classes, Facebook live cook alongs, delivering bakery boxes, burger kits and of course baking sourdough!
I am now busy planning the next chapter so watch this space.
Get in touch
Let’s chat about your event and catering requirements