The Yummy Brummie opens a new restaurant in the city this month with Loki Wine’s, Phil Innes. Flanked by top chef Rob Palmer in the kitchen, Trillium promises to be an exciting proposition – but it could have been very different if Glynn had followed his dream of becoming a zoo keeper… or a rock star… or a cage fighter!
Tell us about your cooking?
I was classically trained but there’ve been changes in my palate over the years. I’ve now gravitated back to classical cooking – French, simple. The quality of ingredients is first on the list of what’s important. I like cooking something that seems simple, but there’s a complexity of flavour going on. A customer might say, ‘that was the best steak I’ve eaten’ but they don’t why – that’s magic!
How did you become a chef?
I grew up in Charnley Wood and I always enjoyed food – we didn’t have a lot of it, so it was joy. I learned to cook partly by watching my mum cook. She’s from Worcester and used to cook things like pig’s feet and fresh fish roe. Then on a Saturday, I’d go shopping with my dad to buy bits and pieces to cook up. He was a factory man and loved watching Food and Drink. He’d be cooking curries from scratch after watching Maddah Jaffry. I started cooking professionally aged 14 on a work placement at the Metropole Hotel, then moved to Simpsons when it was still in Kenilworth where I worked my way up to Sous Chef. I then trained with chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Claude Bosi and travelled abroad to work with top chefs in Europe.
What do you eat at home?
My partner Molly is pescatarian, so I cook a lot of fish at home. Or, I might make a whole roast belly of pork with polenta and sweet and sour tomatoes if we’ve people coming over.
Who’s the best chef in the world and why? And who’s the best in Brum?
In Birmingham, it’s Aktar Islam. His food is phenomenal, and he’s a proper gentleman. I’d also say, Rob Palmer who is brilliant and is working with me at Trillium. In the world it’s Claude Bosi. I was his sous chef at Hibiscus. Also, Pierre Gagnaire who has three stars in four or five countries.
Share a cooking tip
When you buy a nice steak, take it out of its wrapping, dry it off well with kitchen roll. Put it on a plate uncovered in the bottom of the fridge and leave it for one or two days turning it over after the first day. It’ll dry age the steak so when you cook it, you get that nice brown crust.
What was your favourite food as a kid?
Dad’s poached eggs with hot buttered toast and pepper – and mum’s old school boiled ham and parsley sauce.
Food heaven and food hell?
One of my faves is a big plate of flash fried squid with fresh chilli, lime and sea salt. Food hell – sprouts. People will say to me, ‘oh, but have you tried them with bacon or ginger maybe?’ I’ve been cooking for 30 years, so yes, I’ve thought of that! It’s the only real thing I don’t like.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?
Lamb’s testicles. Claude cooked them, then sliced them thinly so it was like a lamb’s testicle carpaccio. It was okay and to be honest it was served with capers so that became the main flavour.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
A rock star, a cage fighter or a zoo keeper. I boxed as a kid and still train a bit at Eastside gym. I wanted to be a zoo keeper as a kid and when Purnell’s closed I applied for the role of assistant zoo keeper at a local zoo – I won’t say which one. I got a phone call from them asking if I was the Glynn Purnell and when I said yes, they asked if I could cook a Michelin-star meal for the penguins as a PR stunt. Obviously, I said no!