Chris Mapp, chef owner at The Tickled Trout Barlow, lives and breathes Derbyshire food and drink. As well as being a former Derbyshire Life Food & Drink Awards Chef of the Year and Masterchef of Great Britiain, Tickled Trout was also named Restaurant of the Year at our Food & Drink Awards. He is a patron of Springboard, an organisation that inspires young people into careers in hospitality and provides advice and guidance, as well as FutureChef, a schools-based programme that supports the development of key life skills whilst inspiring young people to pursue an exciting career within the world of hospitality. Here, the talented chef, reveals his food loves.
The first dish you learned to cook?
My Mum’s curry, a family Friday night ritual!
Most vivid childhood food memory?
Apple and rhubarb crumble and custard or vanilla ice cream.
Most memorable meal out?
Ofeem, Birmingham, Aktar Islam is so clever with his British Asian fusion.
Your favourite ingredient?
Butter – love it on toast, love it in mash, love cooking with it.
If you weren't a chef, what would you be?
An osteopath as I am a qualified one!
What's your guilty food pleasure?
Cheese at midnight! But also truffle, tagliatelle al tartufo would be my last meal without doubt.
A place you love to eat in Derbyshire?
The Peacock at Rowsley, Dan Smith, the head chef, is a great chef.
Describe your cooking style in three words?
Developing, modern, seasonal.
Tell us about your business. What plans do you have coming up?
We’re a small family business but we are branching out into outside catering and we have a few ideas for our marquee coming along.
Favourite chef and biggest inspiration?
Jason Atherton / Gary Rhodes are favourites. And Gordon Ramsay inspired me massively so I joined his team in the early 2000s.
Ideal dinner guest?
Chris Kamara – what a guy to have dinner with.
Favourite Derbyshire foodie?
Instagrammer @Charlieseats.
