About Madalene and Ross
About Madalene…
Madalene grew up in South-Africa, born into a normal working class family. Family gatherings involved enjoying seasonal food cooked well by experienced mothers and grandmothers who keenly passed their recipes down from generation to generation. Her grandfather a farmer, who moved to a smallholding in the town, experimented with growing anything and everything that was interesting. From avocado’s, pecan nuts to paw paws and mangoes, however “normal” ingredients such a tomatoes and cucumber also graced his land where she got the ‘taste experience’ of how tree and sun-ripen fruits taste like. As a child food gifts where given at special occasions for Birthdays and Christmas as money was a short for fashionable new man made clutter as her grandmother polity would put it. These gifts gave her the understanding and true meaning and value of homemade food gifts. Preserving, jam making and pickling featured heavily in the home and even the odd recipe of making soap and golden syrup was passed down thought the generations.
Madalene moved to Europe in 1993 and in the summer of 1994 she came to Britain. After extensive traveling and working through the Mediterranean, Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe, Australasia, Singapore and America she took employment with Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place as a commis chef. Rowley Leigh took one look at a very empty cv and suggested, “You are very young and cant cook accordingly to this piece of paper however I will give you a chance”. Working alongside this passionate chef who solemnly focuses of seasonal produce Madalene’s passion and curiosity for seasonal ingredients grew. Never satisfied Madalene took an interest in the glamorous world of Michelin Stared cooking where she worked for many years to follow alongside some amazingly talented chefs. After the crazy world of Michelin stars she joined the rather demanding however rewarding world of contract catering where she met Ross. Finally before the British Larder where conceived she worked as a product developer for a leading food manufacturer.
About Ross…
Ross Pike started his career at the tender age of 13 in his local village pub in Hertfordshire as a pot wash boy. The passion for food and interest to aspire to a successful career in cooking developed at the early stages. Ross worked his way through the kitchen ranks from five star hotels to modern fusion restaurants in London and the glamorous and lucrative world of contract catering. Ross found himself coming back to his roots working and a pub, the difference this time round it’s for himself. Ross has won a acorn award in 2004, awards recognising young successful people in the catering industry. This year Ross has taken part in ITV’s Britain’s Best Dish the Chefs where we will see Ross cooking pheasant, an true British seasonal ingredient.
About Hector and Darcy…
These two springer spaniel pups joined the British Larder family in June 2011. Bouncy and full of live they are not your normal pub dogs. Their main aim in life is to look cute, eat, jump and well keep themselves busy chewing everything and anything in sight.
