LARKIN CEN v2.qxp_Layout 2 25/02/2022 14:06 Page 1
Tom Phillips, Larkin Cen, Andi Oliver, Mark Threadgill, Nathan Davies (L-R)
Passion for food From Masterchef finalist to owner of Bristol’s beloved Woky Ko restaurants to Great British Menu chef, Larkin Cen is proving himself to be one of Britain’s finest culinary talents. We take five with Larkin to find out more about his GBM journey and more... How did it feel to be selected to represent Wales on Great British Menu? Can you describe your initial reaction? It was an honour to represent Wales for the Great British Menu. I grew up helping my parents in their Chinese takeaway in Cardiff and it’s where my passion for cooking began, so to be asked to represent Wales was an amazing moment. There are some great chefs from Wales and so I wanted to make sure I made Wales proud, not forgetting Bristol of course, which is now my adopted home. I’ve spent most of my adult life here so it is home to me as well. Can you tell us about how you prepared for the week? I’d been tinkering with ideas for the menu for a while. Coming up with the links to the brief that also had that Welsh connection was a lot of fun to play around with in the kitchen. There were a few long days in the weeks before! For a while I was hesitant about joining because of everything that was happening to the hospitality sector because of Covid, which still brings its challenges, but in the end I thought that this opportunity might not come again so I decided to do it. Everyone in the competition is at such a high level, what did it mean to you to join the ranks and cook alongside Tom Phillips, Mark Threadgill and Nathan Davies? Cooking alongside those three chefs in the GBM kitchen was one of 48 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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the highlights for me. They are without a doubt some of Wales’ top chefs and I can’t wait to head to their restaurants to try more of their food. I really enjoyed cooking against Michelin-level chefs and I have always enjoyed competing at a high level as it pushes me. What was the atmosphere like in the kitchen? How do you stay calm under pressure? I’m actually pretty good at keeping calm in the kitchen but obviously there are some tense moments… like when you have to restart something because it’s not quite right. The atmosphere is great though and everyone helps each other out. My experience on Masterchef helped prepare me for the cameras and the way TV operates, which was a big help for my nerves. What was it like to receive feedback from Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett and to hear Angela say your dish was the best main course she’d ever judged? It was such a surreal moment and it was the dish that meant the most to me. I am obsessed with noodles and I loved the presentation with the lazy susan. I loved the story too, where I focused on a positive message which was that with small lifestyle changes even as simple as eating less meat (which I embodied with 50 grams in the dish) would mean a huge positive impact towards climate change and protecting
All images credited to: BBC/Optomen Television/Ashleigh Brown
FOOD
