Superior chef at your service

I know I always say this. But where has the time gone! I am one week into superior, officially the last leg of my 3 part adventure into culinary qualification! I really cannot believe how fast the last 6 months have gone. I have presented over 100 dishes. Over 100! I still can’t make a proper jus and I still split my ganache and bernaise pretty often, but all in all the progress has been mindblowing. More than anything I just feel so normal now, traipsing around in my chef whites and spending every day clattering around with pots, pans, blow torches and blenders. This is life now, and it feels so familiar and so right. I look forward to seeing my classmates and the chef’s every day, and every lecture delivers a generous serving of knowledge with a side of laughs. We are such a tight knit cohort at this point and I really feel so sad thinking about how little time we have left together. As superior students the chef’s trust us with much more. More creative control, more freedom and more banter! I have got to know everyone at lcb so well, from the porters to the front desk, the cafe staff and the cleaners. I will miss the whole lcb family so much when I leave in June. If this post has brought a tear to your eye be warned, it is not all sunshine and rainbows in superior! They have upped the ante once again and every day still feels like an impossible battle, a giant mountain to climb. We are making many more elements, that are much more skilful and in much less time. Every demo I watch in disbelief as the chef’s reveal what we have to achieve by ourselves today, at our individual stoves, every chef for themselves. Each day I think to myself, ok that’s it, this is officially going to be too hard for you, and you simply cannot achieve it. There is no way! The expectations have surpassed your ability and you will simply have to lay down your knives and hang up your apron and leave knowing you gave it your best. And yet. To my total shock, each time, I do it. I make it, I produce it, and I get a big fat signature on my feedback form from the chef. The self doubt going into these sessions is exceeded only by the immense feeling of fulfilment and pride coming out. Here is a look at the dishes I have put out this week. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! And in my case...fatter! 

Yuzu and chocolate eclairs  

caramel and pear entremet 

Lemon tart 2.0  

Duck breast with caramelised celeriac purée  

Lamb noisette and pomme maxim  

Duck pithivier with poached pears