EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Chris Wheeler is the Executive Chef at Stoke Park, the luxury 5 AA Red Star Country Club, Spa and Hotel in Buckinghamshire.

Before joining Stoke Park, Chris was the Group Head Chef and Right Hand man to Jean Christophe- Novelli.

When not in the kitchen Chris has made appearances as a guest chef on both BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and C4’s Sunday Brunch, as well as raising lots of money for charity running the London Marathon dressed as a Chef carrying a 5kg stock pot!

How long have you been Head Chef at Stoke Park?

I have been at Stoke Park for 12 years

What do you enjoy most about being head chef ?

The wonderful thing about Stoke Park is that there are so many outlets, from fine dining, to larger scale events such as our Boodles tennis where we cook for over 800 people every day for 5 days, to our other restaurants, to Afternoon tea..

You have been head chef for 12 years – what keeps you motivated?

I absolutely love what I do and am hyperactive! I am very much a self motivator and also love the many different opportunities Stoke Park throws at me.

How many staff do you have working under you?

I manage a total of thirty five staff

What has changed in the time you have been here ?

A lot has changed over the past 12 years. Our main restaurant , Humphry’s, has turned into a fine dining restaurant, which has 3 AA Rosettes and is now open to all. We have our San Marco Italian Brasserie which used to be a juice bar, our events have got much bigger, and we are now a 5 AA Red Star hotel. Also our Afternoon Teas have become very popular and are also now open for non hotel guests and non members, providing bookings are made in advance.

Have you ever had a major disaster and how did you fix it?

One of my team forgot to close the oven door once on a major function, so in order to buy more time, I decided to appear at the function and do a speech on seasonal food- the guests were delighted and we managed to get the food out without our guests even noticing the delay!

Have you ever cooked for someone famous?

Yes, at Stoke Park I have had the privilege of cooking for stars such as Daniel Craig, Jonny Depp, The Spice Girls, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, Katherine Jenkins, Sir Elton John, Holly Willoughby, Anne Hathaway, Novak Djokovic and many more.

What is your favourite ingredient and why?

Asparagus – you can’t beat English Asparagus and you have to make the most of it whilst it’s in season- there are so many dishes you can create!

Do you design all the dishes on offer at Humphry’s and what’s your inspiration?

Yes with the help of my team- our inspiration is very much to use home grown, local ingredients and to create

modern British dishes with a twist

How do you unwind and do you cook at home, if so what sort of recipes – easy or complex and if not who does?

I unwind by looking after my kids, and am not allowed to cook at home- apparently I’m too messy! Though when my wife occasionally allows me, I love to cook a whole roast chicken with pancetta.

What’s next?

We would love to hopefully achieve a Michelin Star in Humphry’s and we are currently in talks for more TV appearances which would be wonderful.

For more information on Stoke Park visit www.StokePark.com