George Barson on Fray Bentos pies, portion size and his granddad's advice

After growing up in Devon and being surrounded by fresh produce, George Barson went on to work for some of the industry's biggest names, from Jamie Oliver to Heston Blumenthal. Now the head chef of two central London restaurants, he's able to incorporate his love of foraging to create fuss-free food

‘Keeping clean and tidy is important. If you’re organised, you can take anything service throws at you’

What influences have you drawn from the life of Cora Pearl for the new restaurant?

Cora Pearl, the 19th-century courtesan the restaurant is named after, spent her life between London and Paris, and similarly the menu will incorporate both British and French influences. Also, she was famed for holding lavish parties and there will be a sense of this opulence in the food, drinks and design of the restaurant.

What is your favourite dish on the new menu?

The menu will change all the time, but some of my favourites so far include roasted brill brushed with curried butter and served with devilled crab Hollandaise or our take on a classic toastie: pig jowl and Montgomery Cheddar. I also have quite a sweet tooth and am loving the earl grey and crème fraîche ice cream with wild strawberries and shaved frozen shortbread.

You’re going to be running two kitchens, with different menus, in different parts of London. How will you stay on top of things?

I have a brilliant team in place at each restaurant and have every confidence that between us we can stay organised and inspired, constantly driving the food forwards in each site. Although Mayfair and Covent Garden are very different areas, it’s a quick 15-minute walk between the two – I’m going to get to know that stretch of Piccadilly pretty well!

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?

Quite simply, cooking. I really enjoy being creative, building a team, working with great producers, etc. But when it comes down to it, there’s nothing better than a full day in the kitchen just cooking.

What is your restaurant pet hate?

Unsalted butter.

You grew up in Devon. How does the West Country influence your cooking?

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family who all loved food and in Devon we were surrounded by some of the best produce in the country: crabs from Lyme Bay, trout from the stream in our village, local clotted cream, PYO fruit farms. I think this focus on provenance and interesting ingredients is still very evident in my cooking today and I love working with great independent producers from across the country to achieve this.

How is your love of foraging and fuss-free food reflected in the menu at Cora Pearl?

I try to keep dishes simple and delicious – solid cooking and great flavour combinations are at the foundation of the menu. Interesting techniques and processes may play a part in achieving this, but are never for the show. The menu will be very seasonal, so it makes sense for foraged ingredients to play a part in this. We’ve been busy collecting elderflowers to make cordial for desserts and the bar. We’re now looking out for elderberries – I love adding a touch of homemade elderberry gin to sauces served with venison and other game.

You’ve worked in several reputable kitchens, including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner and River Cottage in Devon – what was the most important thing you learnt from these experiences?

Jointly, they taught me that consistency is key. Also that a fun, hardworking, friendly environment is paramount to a successful kitchen.

The restaurant Kitty Fisher’s is known for serving some pretty famous people. What’s it like cooking for them?

It’s always nice to have a familiar face in the restaurant, but to be honest, cooking for them is exactly the same as for anyone else.

How is the rise in clean eating, veganism and gluten-free changing the way you structure your menus?

The menu at Kitty Fisher’s is quite concise, so we don’t have a long list of vegetarian/vegan/gluten free options, but we always have things ready in the kitchen to accommodate different dietary requirements. The wood-fired grill brings a brilliantly complex, rich flavour to many vegetables such as celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and carrots, making them the stars of the show on naturally healthy, gluten-free, vegetarian dishes.

How does the dining experience in Devon compare to London?

Most of the restaurants where I’m from serve fairly traditional British food – apart from the local Chinese and Indian, there is not the same diversity in different cuisines that you see in London. Also, everything is bigger! Order ham, egg and chips in a pub in Colyton and it’s usually enough to feed a family of four…

You’ve worked your way up from the bottom, what advice would you give someone starting out?

Work clean and tidy – if you’re organised you can take anything a service throws at you. Also a piece of advice from my granddad, something he would always say when I was finding things tough – it’s only cooking.

When did you know you wanted to be a chef?

When I was a kid, my mum worked late nights in a restaurant called The Bake House – it was really well known at the time. We wouldn’t usually have a babysitter, so I’d end up watching the lone chef, Ken, in the kitchen. I was fascinated and remember trying all sorts of weird and wonderful things – snails, lobster stuffed chicken breast, syllabub. From that point on, I always knew it was what I wanted to do.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

Fray Bentos pies. After rugby at school, my granddad would cook one for me – I’d eat the filling, then make a sandwich with the pastry stacked between two slices of heavily buttered white bread, which I’d then use to soak up the gravy. I probably have them less than once a year now.

Another is the brioche feuilletée from Yeast bakery in Hackney. It’s like a mixture between a doughnut and a croissant, built into a cylinder shape and filled with anything from pistachio to salted caramel or cinnamon cream. I sometimes get a batch in as a treat for breakfast in the kitchen.

What are you doing to reduce plastic waste in your kitchens?

We get very little plastic into the kitchen. Most produce comes in recyclable cardboard or reusable crates and we do everything we can to minimise single use plastics such as clingfilm.

What’s next?

It’s great working for the Kitty Fisher’s team and right now my focus is very much on getting Cora Pearl going while keeping everything running smoothly at Kitty’s. In the coming years, who knows, but I am always dreaming up menus for a really good pub…

George Barson is the head chef of Kitty Fisher’s and Cora Pearl, which opens on 9 July