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Earlier this year, Plantation
teamed up with Films@59 to produce a documentary on alternative
Christmas dinners for ITV West.
Viewers follow
celebrity chef Martin Blunos on a visit to Plantation Restaurant
where owner/chef Beverley Forbes shows him how to cook some
delicious Plantation dishes in true Caribbean style.
Born in Bath,
most of Martin’s training has simply been 'on the job'. Martin
studied catering initially at Cheltenham College, after which he
went to work in Switzerland. As no-one’s protégé he created his
own style by following his instincts and, as a result, created a
unique place for himself within the upper echelons of fine
cuisine. After cooking for a Greek oil tycoon on his private
yacht, Martin returned to London where he worked in a string of
top restaurants including Martin’s in Fulham; Morels, Haslemere;
and Les Fauves and Lampwick’s in Battersea.
It was at
Lampwick’s that Martin, then head chef, met his now-wife and then
sous chef, Siân. Martin and Siân work as a close team with Siân
running front-of house and giving Martin feedback from the
restaurant, enabling him to concentrate on what he loves the most
– cooking.
Martin’s
father came to Lancashire from Latvia after the second world war
and Martin’s Latvian roots are echoed throughout Lettonie (French
for Latvia), both in the cuisine and visually through a range of
water-colours by his artist Uncle. Lettonie is one of only nine
restaurants in the country to be awarded two Michelin Stars.
Martin also has eight out of ten stars in the Good Food Guide and
four AA rosettes to his name. However, Martin and Siân are adamant
that cooking should come from the heart and not be lead by fashion
or a desire to notch up awards.
The half-hour
program sees chef/owner Beverley Forbes teaching Martin some
traditional Caribbean cuisine, like "Ackee & Saltfish" and "Curry
Goat". Both unbelievably passionate about cooking, the two share
their life experiences and tales of the past, Martin being
second-generation Latvian, and Beverley second-generation
Jamaican.
Martin then
adopts the Caribbean style of cooking and makes use of it, to give
traditional English Christmas dinners that Tropical twist.
The 30-minute
episode is the first of a two-part series that explores
Alternative Christmas Recipes, and was screened on ITV West, on
Thursday 22nd December 2005. |
