Chantelle Nicholson

We have recently hosted an insightful Q&A session with the renowned chef, Chantelle Nicholson, where she passionately discussed her commitment to sustainable food. Her dedication to promoting sustainability in the culinary world left us inspired and eager to make conscious choices in our own kitchen.

How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?
I would say that it is about embracing what is wonderful about food and produce and trying to enhance it.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
Be a sponge! See, do, and listen to as much as you possibly can. And try and get some variety into what you do – learn, learn, learn.

How do you think the hospitality industry can become more sustainable?
I think parts of it have, but parts of it have become less so. I think the people side of things has improved, which is a positive. Now we need more focus on the other operational aspects of it.

What have been your biggest successes in the industry?
It depends how you define success. I’m proud of a lot of the people who have worked with me and have moved on to continue their learning. I’m also proud of what we have created at Apricity, in terms of trying to do things differently and in a more conscious and thoughtful way. But it’s very much a journey, so a lot more to do.

What challenges have you faced as a female leader in the hospitality industry?
There are challenges for any leader in the industry. In terms of being a female, my frustrations sometimes come from the unconscious bias from media, and organisations, whereby assumptions, and excuses for behaviour, are sometimes made. 

How do you ensure seasonality and sustainability when creating a menu for a restaurant or cookbook?
Working with wonderful produce is one of the best parts of cooking, so it’s about finding and sourcing. In terms of being more ‘sustainable’ it’s a 360-degree thought process of the inputs (ingredients, suppliers, people, time) and then the outputs. And trying to maximise the good and minimise the not-so-good.

How do you go about marketing your restaurant and cookbook to ensure maximum engagement from your audience?
It’s very much a shared ideology, and working with people and brands that align, so the audience you’re engaging with is interested in what you are doing and have to say. It takes a lot of thought, and work, and is a constantly evolving strategy and practice.

What do you do to stay updated about new food trends?
I probably try and stay more up to date with new things in terms of sustainability and food, rather than just food trends. I do this through newsletter subscriptions (Footprint, Wicked Leeks, Farmerama for example)

Who would you like to invite to your kitchen and cook with you?
Alice Waters, Barack Obama, and David Attenborough.

Your favourite five minutes recipe?
Probably something involving cabbage, ha! Either in a rich, flavoursome stock or soup, or sauteed with butter and a fried egg, with a good dollop of crispy chilli oil.

Your favourite flavour…
That’s like choosing a favourite child … impossible! It depends a lot on time and place too.

What are you most excited about right now in the food scene?
The upcycled food scene – where byproducts or waste products are being repurposed into delicious things, examples are Nibs etc. granola, and Toast Al

Where would you take your out-of-town guests for a memorable dinner?
My list is far too long at present … but perhaps in the summer months it would be the Towpath Café for lunch in the sun.

If you weren’t a chef, you would be….
A food systems advocate, or perhaps I’d go back to my first profession as a lawyer, but perhaps not ..!