The Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau 2012 is in full swing at Constance Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius.
Angela Hartnett
Award-winning chef Angela Hartnett is one our Michelin star chefs at this year’s festival.
- *Michelin
- Chef at Restaurant Murano, London, UK
- Named Chef of the Year 2012 by The Good Food Guide.
- In 2007, she was awarded an MBE for Services to the Hospitality Industry.
- A protégé of Gordon Ramsay, made famous by her appearances on British TV.
What is your principal trait of character?
Being honest and straight forward.
What is your greatest quality?
Trying to see the positive in life and people.
What are the qualities you look for most in other people?
Kindness and generous nature.
What is your biggest weakness?
Procrastination.
What is your favourite tipple?
Wine and champagne.
What is your favourite dish – and your least favourite?
Roast chicken with lemon thyme and rosemary – it’s just delicious and actually takes a good chef to cook a chicken well.
Least favourite?
Any dish with coriander.
What has been your best experience professionally?
Cooking for chefs such as Thomas Keller and Alain Ducasse.
Who are the most important people to you in your professional life?
My staff and my guests.
What, for you, is happiness?
Family and friends. A little dog called Alfie and a guy called Neil.
What is your most important personal possession?
Jewellery from my grandmother.
With what talent would you like to have been gifted?
To be able to write well such as authors like Jane Austin, JD Salinger, Scott Fitzgerald.
If you had not done this profession, what else would you have liked to do professionally and why?
I would love to have been a pathologist to solve crimes. I watch too many crime shows on TV.
What does the word creativity mean to you?
Passionate, original.
What do you think best translates the wish to pass things on?
Through inspiration working with others.
How do you get away from it all?
Go travelling. Eating out with friends.
What inspiration do you get from Mauritius?
Grace and charm and freshness and lightness in dishes with different flavours.
What do you do when you need to recharge your batteries?
Just sitting in front of the fire reading.
What is the best compliment someone can pay you?
That I treat others as I would like to be treated.
Which type of cuisine is currently the best in the world in your opinion?
I think Spanish – it offers such a wide range of styles including tapas and traditional dishes.
For the Culinary Festival Bernard Loiseau, Angela has been teamed with Kamlesh Doorjean, our island cook from Constance Le Prince Maurice.
