Revelations: Dominic Auger, head chef, Hackney Coterie, London

30 April 2022
Revelations: Dominic Auger, head chef, Hackney Coterie, London

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Dominic Auger, head chef at Hackney Coterie

What was your best subject at school?

Maths. My dad was a maths teacher, so I had to follow suit really!

What was your first job?

Working as a chef in an old pub called the Black Boys Inn in Uckfield, East Sussex

What do you normally have for breakfast?

On a work day? Just cereal. On my days off, some sort of bacon or sausage bap

Which is your favourite restaurant?

I can't really say I have a favourite, there are lots to choose from… I do love Kiln in London though

What do you do to relax?

Relax? What's that? Ha ha! No, I like to spend time working on my car. I'm doing up a Mazda MX-5 at the moment, which allows me to stop thinking about work on my days off

What is your favourite food?

Food from the Szechuan province of China. I love that they use the same five aromatics so consistently through traditional recipes – fennel, Sichuan peppercorn, chilli, etc

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

Lavender. I haven't tried a dish that balances the ingredient well. More often than not it ends up tasting of soap

What do you always carry with you?

I've got a joker card in my wallet that's been with me since I was 10 years old

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

Chef Daniel Watkins has been a big inspiration, his dishes look streamlined and simple, but the flavours are bold

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

In the army or working as a mechanical engineer. I was going down this route before I became a chef

What irritates you most about the industry?

The lack of change. People are becoming more aware of the work pressures and mental health difficulties in the industry, but it's all talk. Chefs should have adequate breaks, holidays and reduced working hours. I would like to see staff wellbeing taken more seriously in the next few years

Continue reading

You need to create an account to read this article. It's free and only requires a few basic details.

Already subscribed?

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking