Yorkshireman Stephen Andrews is the chef owner of Fish and Forest, a small, sustainably-focused, low-waste restaurant in York. The restaurant opened in the centre of York in summer 2020 and within a year was recognised in the Michelin Guide for its ‘commitment to sustainable gastronomy’. A self-taught chef, he serves seasonal and sustainable fish, game and forest foods – his dishes feature wild or ethically-farmed fish, locally sourced game which he butchers in-house and wild food foraged locally by the chefs.
We caught up with Stephen to learn all about his cooking style and why simplicity and seasonality is best.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
I’m a self-taught chef, I have used all my travels to help inspire my cuisine and how I cook today. I have, over the years, built on my own style of cooking and have finally started to really appreciate the way I cook and my take on different cuisines. I currently own a little bistro in the heart of York City Centre called Fish and Forest, where I believe in using season ingredients simply to make a product sing on the plate.
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
Accidently falling into kitchen life is a common case in this industry, but it’s the love of flavour and what food can do which inspires you to stay in the kitchen to learn, grow and be the best at your chosen craft.
I don’t really have people who inspired me to start cooking, but I now have people and restaurants that keep me inspired such as Septime and Au Passage in Paris, Tom Brown at Cornerstone, St. John and the late great Anthony Bourdain.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
My wife is the biggest influence, as she saw that I had the ability to open a restaurant and she believed in a concept I only dreamt about.
What’s your signature dish?
Currently, I would say my signature dish is Megrim Sole cooked in the Konro grill with a unique sauce of butter, milk and gooseberries. It’s punchy, smoky, buttery and bitter – it has it all.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
Seasonality of the veg! It’s where I start all menus.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
All the time, I believe that I need to be happy with the dish for the dish to be its best, so If I don’t like it I will not have the same feel to a dish I love.
How would you describe your cooking style?
Simple cooking, simple food done well – bistro food.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
Autumn is the best time of year for food; you have a mixture of earthy products, sweet products and sour products that are all at their best in the height of their season and this allows you to create full-flavour, impactful dishes.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
Celeriac, I know it sounds boring but it has to potential to do so much.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
I always loved engineering so something in that field probably.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
Courgette fritters and chicken wings.
When are you happiest?
When walking my dog with my wife in the country, but I will also say when I create a new dish and its something special that is a real sense of achievement.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
Konro Grill, a special Japanese BBQ-style grill.
What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?
KFC.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
I love simple food that is cooked exceptionally and I think Skosh in York hits that mark every time.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
Anything with avocado (this is probably because I don’t like avocado).
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
Knowing how the food was grown and where it was grown is a massive benefit to how you treat an ingredient, also knowing it is freshly picked means you get the best out of the produce.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
I would say green peppercorn cream and halibut – it’s a match made in heaven.
How do you go about menu planning? What’s the process from picking the ingredients to getting them fresh into the kitchen and into dishes?
We start with what’s seasonally available to us, what fruit and veg can we use. We always start with the veg because this is reliable and we know that this will be available and in season all month. Next we come up with what style we would like to use the veg, for this will help us know what sauce maybe needed. Finally we add in the protein, which is again what is seasonal but with the fish this can be unpredictable so we may have to use different fish throughout the month.
How would you describe the food you create at Fish and Forest to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
We use unique, unreserved flavour combinations to create a memorable experience when you eat our food. Our cooking is food cooked with soul and passion for the craft. We are a neighbourhood bistro.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
Our USP is that we are a seasonal fish and game bistro that wants you to come in and enjoy high quality food in a relaxed neighbourhood atmosphere.
What do your future plans entail?
I would love to see Fish and Forest thrive. I enjoy helping apprentices find their love within food, so I would love to teach, but within my restaurant. I also love coffee so to have a coffee shop would be amazing.
