Alex Bond - Behind the Apron

Originally from York, Alex has been cooking since the age of 14 and having worked for some big names over the years he has built up his knowledge and skills to bring Alchemilla to the Nottingham fine dining scene back in August 2017. With a star in his pocket, the next logical step of course was to open up a Chicken Shop next door - Mollis. So I was delighted when he said yes to a sit down Q&A and even more delighted when I found him in his natural habitat - sampling 'breakfast wines' just before lunch from Moldova, in my opinion we should be using those two words together more often!

So after spending an hour talking with Alex, I have a lot of juicy details I can't wait to share with you. My first impression is that this is a guy who loves what he does and he confirmed as much, 'it's the best job in the world'. Alex isn't shy about mucking in at all levels and if the dishes need doing then that's what he does. It is crazy hours, working 90 hour weeks most weeks but there is nothing he would rather be doing. He describes himself as a Vampire, living in the night and working in his cavernous restaurant by day with his tight knit team. 2023 has been a really tough year down to a lot of external factors, the likes of Pollen Street closing in London has really put things into perspective and the cost of living and energy crisis in particular have been extremely difficult. Ultimately they can only control the controllables and continue doing what they do best, which is delivering great food to the people of Nottingham.

On a more personal note, he is happily married to Anna and they have two adorable girls; Rosa (8) and Pearl (5). Anna is absolutely smashing it when it comes to her career too, with her company Allotment Education, working with schools to teach kids about horticulture. She's currently working with 9 schools across Notts and she is building momentum in bringing education to deprived areas.

So on to the Q&A.....

Q&A

What was your earliest cooking/food memory?

My mum used to make wedding cakes with all the floral work and I used to love watching her do all that. My Dad used to work away Monday to Friday and on Saturday he would do dinner, usually a beef thing. He would spend hours making this meal and really in hindsight it was crap but it was a traditional weekly family dinner. They weren't massive influences in that sense but this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do.

What inspires you?

In the early days we had no idea how many people were going to come. Together with Liam Sweeny as my sous chef we worked as a team to bring a menu that is based on what we want to make. People seem to say that the menu is Asian inspired and that may be down to the taste profiles, we use a lot of umami flavours for example but this isn't intentional. Just tend to try different things and find what works, sometimes it depends on how bored we are as to when we have time to come up with different menu ideas!

There's also not a single thing we don't use, for example the liver from our pigeon goes into the parfait to go with the mushroom dish, the hearts we dry and smoke and then grate over the leg, the wings, crown, breast and bones go into the sauce. We don't throw anything in the bin at all. Butternut squash, the bottoms will go for juicing and for fermenting or we will make a squash curry - on a Saturday there's 25 people to feed!

How much has the menu/your style changed since opening in 2017?

It is completely different now, at first there was a real focus on vegetables and showcasing them, however I found due to seasonality it was difficult not to become one dimensional. There's only so much pickling and fermenting to be done. Now we tend to work with proteins and British produce, importing very little from abroad, lemons and pigeon from France is where we tend to draw the line. Or at a push, when we get a visit from 'Sushi Stu' (who sounds like he's walked out of a Guy Ritchie film) who goes to Japan four times a year and then rocks up and sells me some Japanese ingredients which get my mind whirring when it comes to inspiring new dishes on the menu.

What are your key takeaways from the previous places that you've worked?

I take the best and worst from everybody and try to learn along the way. One of the big things has been how not to treat your staff. This is really important. Also how to be super organised and creative. Sat (Bains) had a very open door policy, come and find me and if its got legs we will run with it. The biggest one was 'your belly never lies' - if you make something and you get that tingly feeling that says that something isn't right , literally your gut feel, if its over seasoned or slightly burned, something you might be able to mask or you can ignore and you choose not to address it, then you may as well pack it up, if you start to cut one corner then you'll cut more and more. Same goes in my kitchen, I will continue to operate an open door policy , if people are scared or fearful of your reaction that's when people retreat into their shell and will try and get things past you and that's not the culture I want in my kitchen.

Allowing for people to have creativity and interest and giving the motivation to be more than just a cook, it's about everyone feeling that they are a part of it. If they feel a dish could be better or could be improved then say it. I don't have an ego, there's no hierarchy, I'm not above anything and I will do what needs to be done. Also if you see something on the floor - pick it up!

How long do you leave dishes on the menu?

Sometimes they will stay on for ages. There's a bream dish has been on for a long time, but others can sometimes only be on for a few weeks. Some dishes are dictated by season, asparagus for example, my preference is white asparagus as it is much more versatile. I tend to base this on a combination of customer feedback as well as from the kitchen. There was a koji dish that was a bit marmite which we decided to take off. I'm not egotistical with it though and will listen to what the customers are saying. It also depends on how bored we are! We can have 300 covers a week in our busiest period so we will have served and made a dish 1500 times, by then we will know if we want to change it up. The bream dish has never changed though - I can serve it to any chef and can be confident they will love it.

What are your favourite ingredients to work with and which would you send to Room 101?

I can't stand raw celery and canned tuna. Other than that there's nothing I don't like. I love the consistency of shellfish, scallops and langoustines, they're very self contained. I enjoy thinking up clever ways to find a use for things too.

With the bream for example, the tail end and belly go into the staff fish pie. Bones will go in for smoking to make dashi for the sauce. Essentially anything that has an ability to not have tonnes of waste. We make cream from the trim of the ham, lobster sauce is made from the shells. There's opportunity to have by-product dishes of any left over to close the loop. We have one meat freezer and one pastry freezer and we work around the ingredients available.

What's your go to comfort food?

It has to be sausage, eggs, chips and beans - it's the best meal in the world, I just love it. I am also obsessed with burgers and had the best burger in the world from Manna in London. Its wicked. There's also Lucky's Hot Chicken in Seven Dials.

Manna - Click Here

What's your favourite kitchen hack/tip?

Just have a sharp knife. Mine are all Japanese and really expensive! When you realise you're a chef for life you need to invest in good knives.

Have you had any kitchen fails?

Every day, it is very much insta vs reality, what people see is only half of what happens. I still burn things, I can get easily distracted. We have f**k ups all the time. I'll do other things and just walk off and then realise that something is on fire. I'm all over the shop - so there's a long list. Never had a humongous thing though like burning a place down!

Is there a mentor or a role model that has inspired you throughout your career?

Everyone I've worked for to be fair. Outside of any negatives, there's always been learns from everyone I've worked with. Anthony Flynn is the most creative guy I've ever worked for. Jeff Baker at Pool Court was the most organised man I've ever met in my life, he was military. I want to make sure that I try to be all those things or at least strive to be and most importantly to treat people with kindness and respect and try not to take myself too seriously, there's bigger things in the world - we're only making food at the end of the day.

If you could host a dinner party for any guest who would they be and what would you cook for them?

Johnny Cash - legend. He's my hero - I love that guy. I'm making him something fancy but comforting, probably a Kaufman trotter with pomme puree, red wine sauce and langoustine, its a bit bougee, but its also mash potato and pig feet, a classic Kaufman dish.

Where would you eat your death row meal and what dish would you have?

I'd have to go to Gareth Ward's Ynyshir - (pronounced 'Un-is-heer') they do a sushi rice, bonito and truffle dish that I had last time I went, which was insane. But everything there is insane. Brad Carter's - aged beef fat dish is also up there. Oh and the fois gras and ginger dish at Abac in Barcelona. To be honest I'd love to make a whole tasting menu of all the favourite dishes I've tried for my last meal. Or I'd be happy with the sausage, egg and chips but I'll be making it!

Ynyshir

What is the thing you're most proud of?

Ultimately it's Alchemilla - it still being here and still doing it with honesty and integrity, I know who I am and that is really important to me. This and my kids of course. For something that has been so hard, to still be going when many aren't, is something I am really proud of. In our busiest period we are doing 300 covers a week which means we may make a dish 1500 times by that point, by having a great team around me that will be honest and give feedback and work together that's what its all about.

Where are your top go-to places in Notts?

Slice 'N Brew ALL DAY - Ryon is a legend! Kushi-ya. Taquero looks great but I haven't tried it yet. And the burger from Mesa!

What's in store next?

Next venture will probably involve my love of smash burgers, I don't think there's a good enough one in Nottingham. Mollis is going to stick with what they do best and focus on Chicken and I still have a tonne of ideas for Mollis - I try it regularly to make sure the standard is still high! Supernova's is somewhere I'm inspired by - just a classic cheese burger. I think the likes of FiveGuys is so overrated though and very expensive for what it is - I'd rather have a triple cheeseburger from Maccies - its too much money for what it is.

Any advice for your younger self?

I was a bit chaotic from the age of 15 to 25. Just enjoy yourself and have all the experiences that you should when you're younger. I've never had a day off in my life, I've never had a day off sick in my life - so that's 26 years without a day off. Mentality is crucial and what has kept me going even during the recent tough times in the industry.

Gallery