Origins of Thomas Straker

As chef-patron of season-focused Straker restaurant, Thomas’s no-fuss take on cooking is inspired by growing up in the countryside, fishing with Dad and travels through Europe and the United States

Mum

As a child, weekdays were spent at boarding school, where the food was horrendous, so it was always a treat to return home on the weekend. I didn't come from a family of chefs - Dad as in the army and a useless cook, so Mum did all the cooking. She would make the best spaghetti bolognese - I loved that as a kid. She was a keen gardener too and at meals she'd always point out the produce she'd grown.

Farm to table

Growing up in Herefordshire, I was surrounded by nature and it became my biggest inspiration. Our meat would come from the fields that surrounded us, so from very early on I had this ethos of food being seasonal, local and fresh. It was something I was very lucky to have on a regular basis. I spent a lot of time outside: riding horses, shooting and picking bilberries to make jam with on the Black Mountains. Countryside life was also massively focused on food.

Seafood

I was about four when I caught my first trout. I would go with my dad come rain or shine. Childhood holidays were spent in Ireland and we would go out in my godfather's boat and bring back lobsters, turbot, mackerel and crab to cook on the beach. My dad was working in the States so we would go to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, too and catch these amazing, huge blue shell crabs. I still love crab to this day - it's something I will always have on the menu.

Ballymaloe

After school, I didn't know really what I wanted to do. I thought about following my dad into the army but after failing to get into Sandhurst I was at a bit of a loss. I knew I liked food, so I found a cooking course at Ballymaloe. It wasn't cheap and my parents said, 'This is the last thing we pay for.' Luckily, I really loved being there. They had the same principles of cooking from the land and the sea I had grown up with. It was a great experience, very idyllic.

The Dorchester

Going into my first kitchen job at 19 was a shock - working long hours, you need that passion. The Dorchester taught me what it meant to be a chef. My dad had lunch there, met the executive chef Henry Brosi, and said, 'Oh my son wants to be a chef.' Henry said, 'Send him down from an interview.' I was meant to do two weeks and, in the end, I was there three years.

Juan Santa Cruz

Leaving The Dorchester, I was still faily green and wanted to get myself out of there. I worked at Dinner and The Ledbury before landing a role at Casa Cruz as the executive chef, which was great. I learnt about the business side as well as front of house. Juan taught me a lot regarding the style of what a restaurant should be and how customers should feel.

New York

It just feels massive compared to London, so much to take in. During lockdown, I worked there as a private chef and it's where I started the videos that would kick start All Things Butter and I started to save money to open Straker. I returned a few times last year and am looking at opening a restaurant there too.

The River Café

It's somewhere I've been going for about ten years. The room is both elegant and relaxed and the food is fantastic - big portions, exceptional fish. It's always seasonal, simple and good. What you see is what you get and I love this style of cooking. All the ingredients will be on the menu because they are in season and of the highest quality and this is an ethos I stand behind.

San Sebastián

I opened Straker in November 2022. We've got a big charchoal grill and wood-fire oven, which is commonplace in restaurants these days, but the inspiration comes from the rustic style of restaurants in San Sebastián. The way of eating there is something else - casual yet always delicious.