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‘The Interview’

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Max Coen Chef-owner of Michelin-starred Dorian in Notting Hill, London

Max Coen is the chef-owner of Michelin-starred Dorian, a modern British bistro in the heart of Notting Hill. Known for its focus on exceptional produce, Dorian has quickly become a favourite among critics and locals alike. In just two years, the restaurant has earned a Michelin star, been named No. 21 in the UK’s National Restaurant Awards, and established itself as a cornerstone of its community. Nothing at Dorian is overdone, but each element is filled with so much thought and energy that it becomes almost contagious, freely flowing around the room and imbuing the space with a relaxed confidence that instantly puts guests at ease. The 35-seat interior is French bistro-inspired, with black and white chequered flooring, green leather banquettes, reclaimed wood panelling, silvered mirrors, classic bentwood chairs, and white cotton and paper-covered tables. A full-height bar with counter seating for up to 18 runs the length of one wall, adding to the convivial, communal ambience. For Max, cooking has always been about precision and respect for ingredients. His recipes for his flavour-packed dishes are complex and Michelin-technical but are exactingly plated with a relaxed ease that belies the skills involved. Max was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where he first stepped into the kitchen by chance, covering a shift at a local pub. The experience sparked an immediate passion, leading him to pursue a career in professional kitchens. His journey began at Maze Grill under Gordon Ramsay’s group, where he developed his foundational skills before securing a sought-after stagiaire position at Stockholm’s three-Michelin-starred Frantzén. Max was thrown into a world of technique, precision, and skill in a critically acclaimed restaurant under the gastronomic eye of the international dining scene. Returning to London, he joined Kitchen Table in Fitzrovia, which soon acquired a second star, and where Max was promoted […]

George-Moss-57-CROP

The Interview:George Moss, farmer

How long have you been farming? My wife Sharon and I have been farming together since 1983 and we are both from farming stock, Sharon from dairy and myself from dry-stock. We share-milked for 10 years prior to purchasing our first farm. What are you running on your properties? We have two small dairy farms running between 170 to 180 cows each plus a drystock unit running dairy replacements and dairy beef. Also leased out is some land to a forestry nursery. We retain calves on the dairy platform till 9 months old and run relatively low input systems by industry standards. How are you finding current business conditions? Climatically the extreme variations in the weather has meant that we need to be both more conservative in our approaches to feed management and more nimble on our feet. Milk prices are at record levels, which is great but inflation pressures are eating significantly into that. There has been substantial cost increases in fertilisers, fuel, wages, contracting  costs and significant upward movement in interest rates. However, we are still positive about the future for our businesses and industry. How do you make improvements on your farms? We make improvements on the farm based on the concept of trying to future proof the businesses while working towards meeting changing consumer/public expectations and legislative changes.  We endeavour to as a minimum to be at good practice and ideally at best practice when it comes to product quality, staff management and environmental impacts.  We have a stated goal of endeavouring to design and manage our businesses to the benefit of all involved/impacted  – so that is staff, environment and wider community through involvement and taxes paid through profits.  By way of example, we have consciously been managing our nitrogen losses for over a decade […]

James_Little-Island

The Interview:James Crow, Little Island

We want to command a dominant export position, as NZ animal protein business have done in the past. How do you see current business opportunities for your company? This is new territory for us all but what the past two months have reaffirmed is that the need for locally manufactured food with environmental credentials is only growing. Consumers have become more aware of what they are consuming over the lockdown and will be more receptive to the health and lifestyle benefits that plant based foods can offer. As our hospitality channels rebuild, we will look to develop specific products and formats for that industry as well. Our current capital raise via Snowball Effect will allow us to react more quickly to these developing trends to expand our current range, while also acquiring a plant based yoghurt business to round out our offering. Do you export and to where? We have tested the waters with exports into an independent Australian retailer chain of 100 stores and a successful two year pilot in a premium Singapore supermarket chain of 45 stores. This work has shown where the opportunities are and the work that will be required to secure these regions for Little Island in the future. After 10 years, is everything on track? For a start-up “on track” is generally code for you tackled the last obstacle and are charging ahead. The secret to our success so far has been building production capacity and knowledge in what we do, from the ground up, and this is going well. We have very good business fundamentals that now require further capital to accelerate growth. Through our current capital raise we have a solid strategy to develop our people and products to become the dominant plant based business both in New Zealand and in our […]

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