Valerio Grimaldi-Plant became head chef at The George Inn in October 2020 following two years as executive chef at Dallas Burston Polo Club, an award-winning events venue in the Warwickshire countryside, where he oversaw the day-to-day running of multiple outlets including the conference centres, The Millstone Hare pub and event day banquets.
Previous to this, Valerio was head chef at the now closed Half Moon pub in Coventry and also worked at the one Michelin starred The Cross in Kenilworth as senior chef de partie.
As head chef at The George Inn, Valerio brings his passion for classic and contemporary cooking techniques with influences that combine Italian, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, whilst overseeing the daily running of the kitchen and team and future food and beverage developments, from menu planning to seasonal rotation and use of local produce and the restaurant gardens.
We sat down with the talented chef to find out a little more.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
My full name is Valerio Grimaldi-Plant, and I’m the head chef at The George Inn Barford St Michael. I was born in Rome and lived there for five years. Aged six I moved to a small village in Warwickshire and was raised by my wonderful mother. A huge influence in my life, my mother’s career as a prima ballerina taught me perseverance, dedication and to follow your passion, which helped me through my years coming up as a chef.
I studied at Stratford upon Avon college – Rugby campus. Where chef lecturers Shelley McGonigle and Mike Holden put the foundation blocks in place and cemented my love of cooking, while I also made a life-long friend named Jack (he’s important later on). Through college I competed in competitions and through these had the pleasure of organising work experiences with chefs such as Michael Wignall and Simon Haigh whose Michelin kitchens showed me the fun and levels food could be elevated to.
Shortly after college I went to work for Aubrey Allen at their restaurant and met my mentor Martyn Learn. The following years I experienced many kitchens, from running an organic agricultural hotel in the south of Italy, Cotswold hotels and pubs, The Cross in Kennilworth to an award-winning Polo club. Through these places I learnt not only the cooking, but the business and financial side of kitchens and, most importantly, how they run.
After a bad motorcycle accident mid 2020 I returned to Italy to recover, once I’d started to get back on my feet I was looking for work and my great friend Jack Fountain from college (said he’d be important!) needed a hand at this little Cotswold Inn he was at – The George Inn. I met with owners Louis and Laura Holtzhausen and general manager Claire Lenkowiec and fell in love with the place. I started doing the odd day and the more and more I could stand and walk all day, the more I took on at The George. Jack decided to head back to Scotland and handed the reigns over to me and the team and I have been creating ever since.
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
Except for a few years as a young child wanting to be an archaeologist, much to my mother’s dismay when I was digging the garden up every week. From aged nine or 10 I had always been set on becoming a chef. I’ve had a love of food for as long as I can remember. My Italian grandparents are both great cooks and food is such a big part of the culture in Italy that it gripped me with passion. So perhaps to answer, my heritage was the inspiration.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
My mentor Martyn Pearn! I had the pleasure and honour of working with this great chef one on one for a year and a half. Martyn had trained in France and was awarded his own Michelin star at Hampton Manor in the UK. While I worked with him he taught me skills and techniques that were the very roots of cooking and French cuisine. He found a balance in quality and techniques in the food we produced in a kitchen no bigger than a broom cupboard. His passion burned bright and I can wholeheartedly say without Martyn I wouldn’t be the chef I am today.
What’s your signature dish?
A dish I’ve been working on for a while now is a Carbonara hen’s egg. A lightly poached egg yolk, coated in shaved slices of sourdough. When fried the coating is crispy and golden yet the yolk runny. The egg is then served on a foam with a flavoured oil made from Guanciale. I wanted to create a starter, much as we would have Carbonara in Italy as a first course, but without the pasta to fill up the guests before their mains.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
Seasonality! And vicinity. I try to create my menus as close to the doors as possible using the fantastic local produce the Cotswolds offers. I believe in using as much of the produce that’s in season in the UK at the time as I can. We have such a diverse and bountiful harvest it seems crazy to import across the world meat, vegetables and fruits that grow on our doorsteps.
I’ve a big interest in game also, so work with local hunters to utilise their spoils where we can. Last year we built a small vegetable patch at The George, as well as a plot of land nearby we try to grow and use as much of our own produce where we can.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
Absolutely! I try to diversify the menu to combine a mixture of my personal favourite eats and some not. Unfortunately, I have a severe allergy to egg white so I have to rely on my great staff to taste a lot of our dishes.
How would you describe your cooking style?
My cooking style definitely leans towards my classic French training with Martyn and my Italian influences. I love to take traditional flavour combinations and play with them, change perhaps the textures but not the original flavour. I have a love of all Asian cuisine and the flavour and culture around food so that also plays a part in my cooking style
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
Summer and autumn are my two favourite seasons, both for food and generally. The ingredients and harvest that are in season then make writing the menus so enjoyable and diverse. It’s easy to consistently produce new menus and new ideas. I will admit January-March I do find it more difficult to innovate new menus year on year.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
Difficult one to answer with a single item. If I had to pinpoint one ingredient I’d say mushrooms. They’re so diverse and each one brings a different texture and flavour to a dish. There are endless combinations that a simple mushroom will take to.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
If I wasn’t a chef, I had dreams of becoming a jeweller. Jewellery and watch design have always fascinated me. I designed a few pieces for family and had them made for special birthdays and occasions and with those I caught a little bug for it. Maybe one day I’ll experiment more with it.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
My go to dish at home is Bucatini all’amatriciana or mushroom risotto. Simple dishes that when made well are show-stopping.
When are you happiest?
At work: New menu launch day. The build up to a new menu is so full of excitement and inspiration. After it’s been thought up and pieced together, creating the dish and tweaking it, various iterations of it exist until it feels right. That’s when I’m at my happiest at work, those hours of undisturbed creation.
Out of work: Travelling. Happiest when I can visit somewhere new and experience the food and culture of each place. The inspiration and intrigue that can come from being totally out of your comfort zone.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
My knives aside, my favourite piece of equipment has to be the TM5 Thermomix or PacoJet. Both are just phenomenal pieces of equipment that can enhance any menu. Thermomix has such varied uses that I doubt we even use it to its full capacity. The PacoJet makes sorbets, ice-cream and parfaits so simple to make and consistently top quality.
When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?
If it’s a sunny summer then usually out on my Ducati with other motorbike mates getting into the twistys and beautiful panoramas. Winter you can find me on my days off, in the spa relaxing. Whichever season you’ll find me enjoying good food and wine trying out a variety of restaurants near and far.
What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?
Comfort food I love Pho, it’s comfort food for me without the uncomfort of other takeaways. I’m lucky to have a great Vietnamese place not too far from home.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
My newly discovered favourite has got to be Cornerstones by Tom Brown in Hackney. The food is without fault! The service and ambience was incredible. Helps too a good friend of James Toth is the head chef.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
Definitely the ‘deconstructed’ trend. Sometimes it works, a lot of the time it ruins a dish and makes the textures/flavours inedible.
What do your future plans entail?
Future, is taking the George as far as I can. I’d love for us to start being awarded some accolades and really pushing the experience for the guests. Perhaps further down the line work with the owners in opening a few more locations and building a small collective for them. Alongside my partner Claire, we’re imminently launching a new web service aimed at rewarding all hotel staff whilst driving sales and hopefully staff back to this great industry.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
We’re very fortunate to be situated where we are, the produce in the area is fantastic. It’s a growth rich area with close links to neighbouring counties so all year round there’s access to amazing tasting produce and meat. It’s easier to create great dishes when the core product is so flavourful. There is, at times, a desire to bring in certain specific ingredients. If I’m making something specific from overseas, a local ingredient sometimes doesn’t have the right properties that an overseas ingredient might.
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?
Menu planning for me always involves having in front of me a list of what’s in season. Also trying to plan ahead with our vegetable garden on which veg and fruits will ripen in time. From veg, meat fish etc I start by picking my star of the dish. I’ll then build a dish around it always cross referencing my in season list.
I try to take inspiration from my training and heritage and bring a piece of home to my menus. Once the menu is written myself and the team will spend some time, sometimes hours, sometimes days on each dish with the ingredients in front of us playing around and perfecting the dish taste, plating and preparation wise.
How would you describe the food you create at The George to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
A balanced menu of seasonal fine dining and pub classics done well. With flavours of the Mediterranean and touches of inspiration from Asia.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
I can’t pinpoint an exact flavour combination that I prefer but I love playing with salt and acid. Whether it’s savoury or sweet balancing the initial flavour with a touch of sharpness. Having beautifully rich seasoned food with a little tartness elevates the entire dish. My secret to our base jus we make is a little apple cider vinegar.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
I think The George has a few. From the beautifully designed rooms, veg garden with tables dotted in between to the wine room and chef’s table nestled away inside. Soon we will be opening cookery classes and a pop-up too. We’re all passionate about food and drink, so together as a team we’re striving to make waves.
Factbox
Address: Lower St, Barford St Michael, Banbury OX15 0RH
Phone: 01869 338160
Website: thegeorgebarford.co.uk
