Piers, what’s on your mind? | lechoux

PIERS, what’s on your mind? COMMUNITY

So Piers, what on your mind…’

‘Well its December… so, thank goodness its once again time for the Portobello panto… in a year of massive disruption. Uhhm… (door closes) its fabulous the way that one or two things have managed to find a way of existing in the current circumstances. Carnival did a fantastic job of going online, panto is also doing a fantastic job of going online. My job these days, having been there in 1988, amongst the elders… my job these days is really just to get them started with the youngers and they’ve done a fantastic job this year, they’ve got fantastic talent; I think the contestants include: Snow White, the ugly sisters, Dick Wittington… various others vying to win your votes. We’re still hoping to raise money for Gloo (https://en-gb.facebook.com/GLUETabernacleW11/) , which is the kids charity at the Tabernacle and Shepherds Bush families project, which does some really amazing and really unglamorous work with homeless and poorly housed families in Hammersmith and Fulham and RBKC… so we’re asking people…it’ll be streaming live on YouTube. I’m about to go and film Tom Hollander as well as celebrity cameos in it… as you know we’re famous for our celebrity cameos… and yeah, give generously and be grateful that there’s one or two things that are managing to survive, albeit in different forms, through the pandemic year… good luck next year.

Thank you very much…

lechouxlondon.com

I have always loved chocolate and pastries, I take that from my French heritage. Having a French Mother, we would regularly take holidays to Paris and France when we were children. During our trips , I would stare at the windows of the boulangeries and patisseries in awe. I still find it incredible, the choice of bread and stunning pastries you find on every street corner in Paris.

After University, I decided to train as a pastry chef in Paris which I had always dreamt of doing. I made it my mission to train up and then to bring some of this Parisian magic back to my home town of London. I trained in Paris as a pastry chef at a Patisserie school, whilst undertaking an apprenticeship in a pastry shop for two years before working my way up in the most prestigious luxury palace in Paris, Le Plaza Athenee, under chefs Ducasse and Michalak.

On return to London, I worked in an unpleasant male dominated kitchen and was extremely unhappy. I began to wonder if there was truly space for a woman in these kitchens. I reached a very low point, during which the only comfort I found was in baking at home in my kitchen for family and friends.

I missed the classic chocolate religieuse and coffee eclairs in Paris. I decided to make it my mission to bring classic French ‘choux’ to London. After a few weeks of recipe development, I naively convinced my little sister to help me run a market stall in Old Spitalfields. We started selling out every day in Old Spitalfields market, the pastries proved so popular that since, we have been part of London’s booming food scene, taking part in markets and events with Kerb, various pop- ups around London as well as supplying luxurious food department stores Fortnum and Mason and Selfridges.21