After working around the world in fine dining and Michelin-star restaurants, luxury accommodation and private homes, Andy Evans, together with his wife Caroline, now runs the Village Kitchen in Edgbaston as well has his own award-winning catering business called Festen
Tell us about your cooking?
I love simple food, done properly, with patience, care, and zero nonsense. That’s what excites me. I like mixing, slow cooking, classic methods, and flavours, I don’t like overworked stuff. Our slow cooked Boston butt pork we do at the shop is a pure example… it’s my favourite thing on the menu right now.
How did you become a chef?
I trained at UCB, which gave me a solid foundation and good basics. After that I only wanted to see how the best kitchens work. I went to work around the world – the Ritz London to a little restaurant in Sennen, Cornwall, to Paris in a one-Michelin-star restaurant. That experience shaped a lot of my approach – work ethic, discipline and determination! I moved to Margaret River in Australia which gave me a completely different perspective – more relaxed, more produce-led, and more honest in a way. It taught me that great food can be simple if the ingredients and technique are right.
My influences have always been chefs who cook with restraint and clarity. People like Thomas Keller, and the ethos at the River Café. Food that looks simple, tastes clean and is built on skill, ingredients rather than decoration.
What do you eat at home?
I love home comforts, like proper pies and steaks. If you want to make me happy, cook me a plate of ham, eggs and chips or a T-bone steak with crusty bread… I’m a purist, nothing fancy!
Who’s the best chef in Brum?
To be honest I’m a bit out of the loop with the Birmingham food scene but I would say someone who has been very interesting to me is Glynn Purnell. We came from the same area and his school was directly opposite mine, and I really respect his hard work and dedication to Birmingham. He is a proud Brummie and I like that about him.
What was your favourite food as a kid?
My nan’s steak, little roast potatoes and gravy. It was a personal treat for me if I cut the grass for her. She’d lay the table for one and would call me in when it was done – the best!
What’s your food hell?
Baked beans. I am honestly repulsed by them and I have no idea why!
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?
A Vietnamese duck embryo. Cracking open the shell of a warm duck egg to see a part-formed duck – it was brutal.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I would love to be a gardener at the Botanical Gardens. I love it there and would happily help out. I’d like my own green work outfit and boots.
Give us a nice easy recipe for our readers to make at home
This is a secret that I’m willing to share now with Birmingham – my signature roast potatoes!
Buy red russet potatoes, peel and cut them in half down the middle, part blanch them in salted water until just before breaking point, fluff them up and let them cool down. Place them in a freezer until frozen, then put them in a bag for when you need them. To finish, you put them on a hot oiled baking tray, place them in frozen for 35 minutes on the flat side of the potato, gentle turn each potato over and put them in for another 20 minutes. They will be ultra-crispy and perfect inside. Enjoy!