Herts &amp; Beds


<p>Pete Pestell runs <a href="https://www.thesunfelmersham.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Sun Inn,&nbsp;Felmersham</a>, with his wife, Connie and local friends and farmers, JJ and Laura, offering a seasonally evolving menu, Farmer&#8217;s Table concept and boutique rooms. We stole him away from the kitchen for ten to share his foodie secrets. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-Pete-Pestell-750x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-85235" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-Pete-Pestell-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-Pete-Pestell-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-Pete-Pestell-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-Pete-Pestell.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-first-ever-kitchen-job-was">Your first ever kitchen job was…</h2>



<p>At 16 I started work with Rowley Leigh at Le Café Anglais in Bayswater, London, as part of my training with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-career-highlight-to-date-nbsp">Career highlight to date?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Seeing people enjoy eating food. It never gets old. That and watching young chefs fall in love with cooking and starting to really appreciate ingredients.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-cooking-style-and-what-diners-at-nbsp-the-sun-nbsp-can-expect">Describe your cooking style and what diners at&nbsp;The Sun&nbsp;can expect</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-menu-testing-750x1000.jpg" alt="Chefs writing menus around a table " class="wp-image-85236" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-menu-testing-750x1000.jpg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-menu-testing-600x800.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-menu-testing-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-menu-testing.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>



<p>It&#8217;s not all about tweezers and water baths at The Sun &#8211; we love cooking and are proud to be cooks. We use seasonal, local ingredients, and are chuffed to create our menus based on produce sourced from both from our very own farm &#8211; Wild Berry Farm, just a stone&#8217;s throw from our pub &#8211; as well as from other local farms, most of which are 3rd or 4th generation producers. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-have-you-cooked-for-any-vips-or-celebs-nbsp">Have you cooked for any VIPs or celebs?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>My last job was for cooking for Their Graces, The Duke and Duchess of Bedford and their family, as well as some high-profile guests. They were very kind, and it was a privilege to cook in such a beautiful setting &#8211; Woburn Abbey. Back in my London days we were always looking out into the restaurant to spot someone off the telly. I felt most star struck cooking for Sir Paul McCartney though &#8211; he is a legend.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biggest-mistake-you-ve-ever-made-in-the-kitchen">Biggest mistake you’ve ever made in the kitchen?</h2>



<p>You&#8217;ll have to speak to my lawyer for that one!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-would-you-cook-your-wife-for-a-date-night-dinner">What would you cook your wife for a date night dinner?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-1000x1000.jpg" alt="Cucumber and tartare dish The Sun, Felmersham" class="wp-image-85238" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-tartare-dish.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>That&#8217;s a good question, I rarely cook the same thing twice at home as I&#8217;m normally secretly trying out something new for The Sun&#8217;s menus! Inevitably it would be something Asian.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-re-tired-and-hungry-after-a-busy-day-what-do-you-cook-for-yourself-nbsp">You’re tired and hungry after a busy day, what do you cook for yourself?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Fried Rice.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guilty-food-pleasure">Guilty food pleasure?</h2>



<p>KFC gravy.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-food-nationality-and-why-nbsp">Favourite food nationality and why?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>After training in London I went on to run a kitchen for Rowley in Hong Kong. I love Cantonese food. It&#8217;s just packed with flavour. You can taste the cookery, if that makes any sense. I also love Portuguese food, as well as Spanish, Moroccan&#8230; anything cooked with heart.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dish-you-re-most-proud-of">Dish you’re most proud of?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-1000x1000.jpg" alt="close up of hand holding a bunch of asparagus" class="wp-image-85237" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/The-Sun-Inn-Felmersham-asparagus.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>I never keep anything on the menu long enough to remember! I&#8217;m proud of anything cooked with quality produce. We use asparagus grown in the next village by Mr Abraham, but only for the few weeks it&#8217;s in season, then we stop and wait for joy of the next season. That&#8217;s the way we cook. It&#8217;s proper really.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-underrated-ingredient-and-why-nbsp">Most underrated ingredient and why?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Salt. As an old sous chef of mine use to say, it&#8217;s the magic powder that makes everything taste nice. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-personal-cooking-mantra">Your personal cooking mantra…</h2>



<p>Cook for flavour. We write our menus for The Sun to showcase ingredients not ourselves. If we can achieve that, we&#8217;re pleased.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-one-dish-every-nbsp-homecook-nbsp-should-master-nbsp">The one dish every&nbsp;homecook&nbsp;should master…&nbsp;</h2>



<p>A real stew is something very simple and special. If you take the time to colour the meat, stew the onions and allow it all to marry together, the result is well worth the wait. </p>



<p><strong>Pete is the Head Chef at The Sun, Felmesham. <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-sun-inn-felmersham-bedfordshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more here</a>. </strong></p>


What’s Cooking? Pete Pestell, The Sun Inn, Felmersham

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