Having worked with Marcus Wareing for over a decade, Chantelle Nicholson has cooked in restaurants at the height of British culinary excellence, and now she’s taking on literal culinary heights as well. Hosting a breakfast event for the 2015 London in the Sky dining event will mean bringing her chef expertise to diners in an intimate setting - suspended from a crane above London’s scenic South Bank.
Making a huge career leap from New Zealand lawyer to London chef, Chantelle has played a key role in the growth of Marcus Wareing’s restaurant portfolio. She now looks after the operations for the three London restaurants: Marcus at The Berkeley, The Gilbert Scott at St. Pancras International, and the newest in the family, Tredwell’s on St. Martin’s Lane. Tredwell’s offers a slightly more informal approach to the fine dining seen at both Marcus and The Gilbert Scott, making it perfect for its central location close to Covent Garden, Leicester Square and the heart of London’s theatre district. The restaurant has branched out into breakfast menus and weekend brunches to suit the hustle and bustle of the area, and this is what Chantelle will be serving to guests at the breakfast sittings of this year’s London in the Sky.
With early starts at 8.30 and 9.30am, the breakfast flights will feature some of the key dishes from the Tredwell’s menu to set guests up for the day; a Power House Smoothie, Granola with a coconut mousse and Chorizo jam, avocado and slow-cooked egg on sourdough. To finish off, there’s an indulgent Sweet ‘Taste of Tredwell’s’ with treats including a salted caramel and chocolate praline tart - not your normal breakfast fare!
We asked Chantelle about these dishes, as well as her expectations for London in the Sky…
Tell us a little more about the Breakfast Power Smoothie, why did you decide to add spinach?
The Power House smoothie was actually one I used to have myself for breakfast. I add rice protein powder to it too (an option on our menu at Tredwell's) as it makes a great breakfast on its own. It has spinach (for the vitamins it adds), a little banana (sweetness and again, more vitamins), almond butter (we make our own just by roasting flaked almonds and blending), almond milk and coconut water. The almonds are for protein and vitamins and the coconut water, the same. It is a great tasting smoothie that is also really good for you.
Chorizo Jam is one of Tredwell's signature dishes - how did you come up with this idea?
I love the flavour of chorizo, the smoky sweetness is so good, and thinking about 'nduja, which is similar, I wanted to create something you could spread onto bread or toast.