Our Head Chef Jason Wallis...

We had a chat with our Head Chef, Jason Wallis about his love of food and his love of The Lonsdale. Have a read to see where he gets his cooking inspiration from, what his favourite dish is and his revealing cocktail of choice.

Lonsdale - Could you give us a brief history of your career?

Jason Wallis - I’ve worked at quite a few notable restaurants in my day – The Great Eastern Hotel, Lewis and Clarke, Hawksmoor, and most recently The Lonsdale. I am really passionate about using quality steaks, so it’s really great to be working in a restaurant such as The Lonsdale that has encouraged me to use excellent British sourced dry aged beef.

L - Why did you choose Allens of Mayfair as your meat supplier?

JW - I was trawling the internet for rare breed beef when Allens of Mayfair kept popping up so I investigated further. They are one of the oldest butchers in the UK and the most renowned Master butchers. I had to visit them and take some samples of steak home to cook for my family. The dishes got rave reviews from the family, so if it’s good enough for my family, it’s good enough for my customers! Our rare breed Cairngorm steak is served with homemade sauces, triple cooked chips, and is a culinary delight.

L - What about your vegetables, where do you source them and why?

JW - It’s very important to me to source my ingredients from local businesses and help support the community during this very difficult financial climate. At The Lonsdale we really make an effort to use vegetables from the local grocers.

L - What is your favourite dish that you’ve ever created?

JW - I’m very proud of my red onion and goat’s cheese tart, which has already made an appearance on The Lonsdale menu. The way the sweet red onion cuts against the goat’s cheese is a pleasurable treat. Everything is held together by this crisp puff pastry.

L - What is your favourite dish on offer at The Lonsdale?

JW - The pan seared scallops and chorizo and butternut squash puree tastes amazing and is a dish that never fails to leave me salivating!

L - What can we look forward to for the Autumn/Winter menu?

JW - The dish I’m most proud of is a tossup between the braised lamb shanks or a slow cooked ox tail. They’re both my pièce de résistance.

L - What do you feel are the most important factors when creating a menu?

JW - I’m very much influenced by what’s happening in that season and balancing that with the taste.

L - What is your favourite cocktail?

JW - The Godfather, which is a dangerously delicious concoction of one shot of whisky, one shot of amaretto, a dash of orange bitters, a dash of angostura bitters, and a twist of orange peel. Everything is then poured over ice and stirred.

L - What would be your last supper – where, with whom, and what dish?

JW - I asked my son this question and told him to answer it for me to see if he got it right, and I’m proud to say he did! He said, “It would be at home with my family, eating a nice home cooked curry.” We often do this and I deliberately cook too much so that we end up eating it for days!