The Wild Garlic   August 2010

I'm Alex Rushmer: writer, chef and Masterchef 2010 finalist.

Last year's MasterChef champ, Mat Follas, left this year's crop of hopefuls with a tough act to follow. His restaurant, The Wild Garlic in Beaminster, Dorset, has only been open a year but has already had the critics positively effusing with praise and is consistently fully booked - no mean feat for any eatery let alone in these stringent economic times. During the filming of the finals, Matthew Norman's glowing review of The Wild Garlic appeared in The Guardian. It served as fantastic inspiration for all three of us and a great reminder of what any, or indeed all, of us could achieve on the back of the show. So, when Mat himself invited me down for some 'work experience' it was with little hesitancy I agreed.

'We're not like other restaurants,' he assured me. 'We do things differently, a bit more relaxed. Come down on a Monday and you can watch a couple of services before you get stuck in.' It being a while since I cooked in a professional environment, I was glad of the promise of a gentle introduction into life at TWG but it soon became obvious that this complacency was misplaced. Barely had I finished my coffee when I was handed a chef's jacket and sent into the kitchen to help out with prep which was coming to an end in readiness for lunch service. The first check came in just after midday and I watched the starters being plated just once before being given a plate of my own to dress. I was reminded of something I'd known all along: there is no room for ballast in a professional kitchen. If you're in there, you should be doing something. So I did. It was a hectic couple of hours, certainly for someone unused to the systems that become second nature to those who work them. It amazed me that both Mat and Terry, the sous-chef, could keep track of the tickets and knew when to fire the orders and make sure each table came together at the same time. It was like hearing a new language for the first time. When the final check came in, Mat took a look at it, smiled and said 'You know how to cook pigeon don't you?' before handing it to me and strolling out of the kitchen. He was right, this wasn't like other kitchens. I'd read about stagiaires spending a week peeling vegetables and here I was behind the stove during my first service. It was going to be a good fortnight. And it was. Strolling to the butchers and greengrocers each morning to pick up orders, prepping for service, cooking for happy diners and then spending a glorious few hours between lunch and dinner coming up with new dishes for the menu. Had it not been for the long days it could almost be described as a holiday.

Towards the end of the two weeks, Charlotte came down for a couple of nights and spent one evening in the kitchen with us taking photos of the service. It is a better illustration than anything I could pen, so for your viewing pleasure here is a night in the life of a (very relaxed) professional restaurant by @photolotte.

Dinner Service at The Wild Garlic from Charlotte Griffiths on Vimeo.

All that remains for me to say is a big thank you for Mat for letting me into his kitchen and allowing my creative juices to flow unencumbered. It was a wonderful experience from which I learned a huge amount. Here's hoping I can repay the favour some day soon…