Television chef Ainsley Harriott was in Amsterdam recently and Expatica joined him for breakfast to swap recipes.

Ainsley Harriott: his trademark dash of theatre in the kitchen

It's early Saturday morning and the sun is shining over the Amstel River. I am sitting at a window table in Hotel De l'Europe, the smell of sizzling sausages mingling with fresh coffee, as British celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott tucks into a traditional cooked breakfast. He is as ebullient in the flesh as he appears on his BBC TV show Ready Steady Cook – already embracing strangers with the Dutch three kisses.

"We all secretly like cooking… but it's having that reason to cook," smiles Ainsley. We are talking about his childhood where, in a leafy South London suburb (more precisely, the kitchen and veritable 'heart of the home'), he learned to enjoy cooking under the influence of his mother, Peppy.

There, the kitchen was a place where music would be playing, where everyone congregated and relaxed, and where cooking was second nature. As his father was in show business and "not short of a bob or two", Ainsley's family were able to afford the finest ingredients. Unsurprisingly, there were always people coming around to the house wanting to eat. That was his reason to cook.

Moving on from the family kitchen, I ask if he finished learning the trade in the restaurants where he began working at the age of 16.

"I don't think you necessarily learn all of it — I am still learning now. In fact, I don't think that you ever stop learning about food."

He describes the catering college of his day as a place where he learnt about kitchen life and discipline, looking after one's own section and working as part of a team. He enthuses about guys from industrial canteen backgrounds used to ripping open packets of frozen fish, training alongside people from five-star restaurants.

Curious about the qualities he himself looks for in a chef, Ainsley tells me adaptability and experience are his key requirements.

Nutrition is a hot topic in the UK at the moment, and the exuberant chef has covered this in his latest cook book, Friends and Family Cookbook: Over 200 Reasons to Eat In.

"One area that I have picked up on quite strongly is actually the nutritional aspect… we want to know! It doesn't mean that it'll necessarily stop us eating cream, but you want to see what you are eating, you want to be a bit more knowledgeable. That's the great thing about friends and family…"

He is clearly thrilled to be in Amsterdam and to be invited to Smakelijk! The Food and Wine Show at the Beurs van Berlage.

Ainsley's star appeal helped attract thousands of people to the event. Given that Dutch cuisine is generally not regarded — by expats at least — as the high point of life in the Netherlands, it is hardly surprising so many people were keen to learn how best to spice up the bland menu.

The Dutch are fond of their usual faire of mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, sausage and gravy. Every meal begins with the phrase "Eet smakelijk", the Dutch equivalent of "bon apetit", but one wonders sometimes if it is said more as a prayer of hope than excitment at what is about to be received.

Tapping in on the desire to spice up things in the kitchen, the event was organised by Urban Learning, an Amsterdam-based company that runs  seminars, lectures and workshops to offer consumers a "taste" of the subject at hand.

Smakelijk featured several other food experts, including the culinary styles of the Netherlands top international restaurants — yes, it does have top eateries — as well as a range of workshops on food, wine, beers and spirits from around the world.

Ainsley played his part by demonstrating two mouthwatering recipes: Parma Ham, Figs, Wasabi and Crème Fraîche, followed by Jamaican Red Snapper with Lime and Coriander – both from the new book. And, he invited a couple of people on stage to work with him. As he explains, he wanted his two 30-minute segments at the show to be fun.

As it happens, his culinary performances went on for longer and he also took time to sign his book.

"I want it to be entertaining. I'm not in the market of saying to people 'come along' and it's going to be one of those experiences where you feel a bit intimidated and think 'ooh, I'll never cook that'. But instead where you're quite impressed with the way the chef does it. I believe that people can go away from a live show and think 'I can do that'. It might not inspire them to buy the book… but so what if they enjoy themselves?"
 
Finally, I take my leave. As I do so, Ainsley comments that he's been to Amsterdam many times: "It's lovely and I’ll be here again. If somewhere makes you feel comfortable enough, you always want to return."

Personally, I can't imagine this man feeling out of place anywhere.

Ainsley Harriott's Friends and Family Cookbook:
Over 200 Reasons to Eat In
Ainsley Harriott
BBC Books
ISBN: 0563487569

12 April 2005

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Food in the Netherlands, Ainsley Harriott