The Northcote Obsession 2014 Chef Profiles | Paul Cunningham

Paul may not be exactly a household name in the UK. However, in his adopted country, Denmark, he’s a star. He established The Paul in the world famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen as one of the city’s key restaurants. He won a Michelin star before decamping in 2012 to Henne Kirkby Kro (a hotel with a restaurant), some 300 km or so from Copenhagen, on the Jutland coast. Paul has gone on gathering stars, awards and critical acclaim. 

Not bad for a boy from Essex. This change from urban sophistication to rural tranquility has served to push Paul’s omnivorous culinary imagination in fresh direction. Naturally, in such a remote rural location, his cooking is based on the qualities of local ingredients – fish from the sea a few kilometres away; game; meat and dairy produce from local farmers; and fruit and vegetables from the magnificent kitchen garden attached to the restaurant. But Paul’s gastronomic curiosity ranges far beyond local horizons. He’s travelled and eaten widely. His dishes reflect his wide-ranging culinary curiosity and his rumbustious energy, balancing gusto and the lightest of touches. He can build dishes through contrasting elements – duck with strawberry and liquorice; spring cabbage, smoked beef marrow and buttered roe. He also knows just when to leave ingredients to speak for themselves such as carrot with salted duck or turbot in butter.

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