Kilty and Co - Eddie Kilty

Kilty and Co

- Eddie Kilty

By Sarah Ridgway

TELL US A BIT ABOUT HOW YOU BECAME A CHEF? / HOW LONG HAS THE BUSINESS BEEN GOING?

I got into the industry through school, my food technology teacher entered me into a competition which was a version of Junior MasterChef with other schools in Liverpool. We had to design a menu to take to the Marriott hotel and do a presentation to the head chef as to how we would lay it out and did a mini- cook off. I got all the way to the final and from that won an apprenticeship with what was Whitbread at the time, I would go to college one day a week and then worked five days a week in a working kitchen. This benefited me massively as I got to be in a working environment every day and experience the actual pressures of a working kitchen alongside experienced chefs, so I got the best of both worlds. I was 15 so I started young, and I just worked my way up the ranks in many different places. In my whole career I have only ever applied for two jobs as the rest have been via word of mouth or by being headhunted. I also moved the Lake District and was there for 8 years, working as a head chef in a couple of hotels, I also worked for Andrew Pern at Star Inn, and Tom Kerridge at Pub in the Park, I have been lucky to work with extremely talented chefs and it was a huge learning curve. I founded Kilty & Co three years ago, and began offering private dining at dinner parties, the second year grew quickly and was busy and last year I was fully booked but the pandemic led to the loss of all those booking. The company also offers event catering and pop ups, and I am extremely interested in doing more weddings as there is a strong demand for good food at weddings.

I offer diversity as opposed to the traditional three course menu of soup, roast dinner, and a sticky toffee pudding. People want new options and street food and BBQs with the sharing element are extremely popular. I have a few booked in this year and I am keen to grow this to showcase what I offer as my food is very contemporary and on trend. I also have a pop up in May and I am planning to do more throughout the year to get the brand out there, I am just waiting to see what happens regarding restrictions.

Modern British with seasonally led ingredients

WHAT TRENDS AND REQUESTS ARE YOU GETTING?

Last year I did a small wedding, and the bride and groom were vegan and wanted the whole menu as such. I created a menu and all the guests with many being meat eaters were blown away by the quality I offer a three course but with more creativity and flair as that is my expertise. I don’t offer the traditional buffet style food as I am all about contemporary seasonality, locally sourced products, working with artesian suppliers and creating good and memorable food.

TELL US ABOUT THE PRIVATE DINING SERVICE

The minimum number we usually cater for is six, but I can adapt and do smaller dependent on costs and labour. I offer two styles of menu, the three-course option that comes with canapes and snacks so by the time you have finished it is actually works out at about 5 or 6 courses. This option starts at £85 per head depending on location and size etc

but I work with the client to give them what they want. The second option is a tasting menu which starts at £125 per head.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU BACK TO LIVERPOOL?

It is where I am originally from although when I started the company 95% of my business was outside of Liverpool but I would like to get more work here. Eventually, I would love to give Liverpool a restaurant and I still probably will if the time were right and location.

HOW DID YOU ADAPT THE BUSINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC?

I quickly flipped my business from going to people’s houses to offering a 3-course meal delivery service which changed every week. It came 95% prepared with cooking instructions was restaurant quality with wine options. It was great at getting the name out there and keeping my profile up for when everything opened again. I have been doing private dining again since April although the restrictions on numbers have made it hard.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE FOODIE SCENE IN THE NORTH WEST?

In the last five or six years there has been a lot more variety with street food, plant based and vegan options etc. When it comes to fine dining restaurants, I would say it has improved but again still room for more. Manchester got its first Michelin star at Mana restaurant which is positive for the city, but my favourite restaurant is More Hall in Ormskirk which has two Michelin stars, and the food is amazing as is the setting. My food is Modern British with seasonally led ingredients although I take inspiration from other genres such as Asian, Italian, and French. My food is based around a memory, so could be something I have eaten as a child that I have flipped and updated into a modern dish. One of my current signature canapes is a beef dripping popcorn and people love it. The idea derived from the of cooking a roast beef and the caramelisation it creates at the bottom of the tray. I wanted to capture and recreate that burst of beefy flavour you get from a dipping a piece of bread into the tray. I like to take people on a journey and give them a taste experience. I view food as not just something you eat but also about the surroundings, how it is served and how it looks. I also don’t enjoy food that is all just one texture like a soup as it is boring there is no crunch or acidity, I like to create food with freshness, crunch that provide an exciting taste sensation.

WHAT IS YOU PLAN THIS YEAR AND OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

Continue to grow and establish Kilty & Co including more events and weddings, I want it to be known as the best go to private dining in the North West. If next year gets improves then I may look at opening a restaurant in Liverpool or somewhere in the local area. I am open to location as people will always travel for good food. I prefer the neighbourhood feel and the suburbs as opposed to the city centre. The kitchen is the engine room and should be open plan as chefs are part of the dining experience. I like to go to the table and explain what people are eating, as I feel the personal interaction is welcome and it adds to the journey.