Chef Q&A: Jordan Brady, head chef & founder, JB Kitchen Thurcaston
Jordan Brady is head chef and owner of JB Kitchen Thurcaston in Leicestershire. His cooking skills (not to mention his entrepreneurial get-up-and-go) have wowed many of us during lockdown. He specialises in delivering fresh, restaurant-quality food to your door.
In the first in a new series of chef Q&As, we put some quick-fire questions to Jordan…
What’s your earliest childhood food memory?
“That would be being obsessed by my Nan’s ‘Handesh’ – a Bangladeshi sweet. I always wanted to eat it whether it was cold or hot! I loved it! Either that or learning how to make coleslaw with her – not the actual making of it but her teaching me how to hold a knife, etc.”
What is your favourite dish to cook for friends and family?
“I like really spicy food but it doesn’t go down well with my family – they’re all wusses! But I like making a good curry and playing around with how to bring flavours into mild dishes. My go-to is probably my banana curry.”
Who influenced your cooking most?
“Heston Blumenthal, Sat Bains and my Nanna Rosa.”
Is there a chef you admire most?
“Sat Bains – I like his ethos on food and the way he thinks about food, how flavours work with each other, the way he runs his restaurant (e.g. the treatment of his team with four-day working weeks, etc.) and the way he just concentrates on what he and his team are doing, not about what everyone around him is doing.”
What is your favourite ingredient and why?
“Maldon Sea Salt, for sure! There is no comparison. Seasoning is key and this is the best.”
Do you have a favourite cuisine?
“This is a hard one. It would probably have to be Turkish and West Indian food.”
Do you have a favourite restaurant?
“Yes – my fiancée and I found our favourite restaurant in Seville – Sal Gorda (the Fat Salt). Their food is amazing! They take traditional tapas and put a twist on it. Their menu and service are always impeccable and their food is incredible but decently priced.”
Food on a plate or slate?
“On a plate. I do like a board though.”
Marmite, love or hate?
“Tolerate.”
What would your last meal be?
“Curried mutton with rice n peas, dumpling, coleslaw and a can of Ting.”
