Q&A with Chris Naylor
Restaurant Vermeer at the NH Collection Barbizon Palace Hotel in Amsterdam has been renovated. And Chris Naylor is proud of it. Finally, the interior matches his cooking style. Informal, warm and accessible. The chef serves a set menu in four, five or six courses, featuring produce from his own rooftop garden and local farmers.
Which food trend should we put an end to immediately?
Ready-made cooking. Those rows of prefab meals in the supermarket—awful! People are taking less and less time to cook, but they do eat their microwave meals in front of the TV while binge-watching for hours. A third of every Action store consists of food, but there’s no refrigerator there.
Most memorable food experience?
As a chef: vegetable god Michel Bras in Aubrac, France.
But my very best food experience is cooking together with my family when I have Sundays off. It’s really a thing in our house. We start at around three o’clock and carry on until at least nine. Baking pizzas in the garden, for example. And afterwards, fighting with the children over who gets to do the dishes. That feeling goes back to my own childhood in England.
The best supermarket product? Heinz Baked beans.
Favorite drink?
At work, I love black tea. It cleanses the palate, is refreshing and the caffeine gives me a boost and clears my thoughts. Exactly what I need while cooking.
Indispensable kitchen gadget?
Plastic wrap. Everything is covered, wrapped or steamed with it. On holiday, in any country, I’m much more likely to buy that than a KitchenAid.
What will you never eat again?
I absolutely hate pasta that has been overcooked in unsalted water and served with the sauce on the side. That doesn’t exist in Italy. You always finish cooking the pasta with the sauce, even if it consists only of oil and garlic.
Which country is your favorite when it comes to food?
The entire Mediterranean coast, so France, Italy and Spain. But Croatia too. Not only because of the food, but especially because of how people approach food. Because of the enjoyment of food and being together.
What should everyone try at least once?
My grandmother, my mother and all the women in my family made a wonderful steamed suet pudding (suet pudding), which steamed for eight to nine hours. Wonderful English food. There needs to be more appreciation for English cuisine.
There needs to be more appreciation for English cuisine.
What is the best supermarket product?
Heinz baked beans.
What is still on your food wish list?
My sister lives in Nanjing and I’d like to eat genuinely Chinese food in a restaurant in China one day. Manchester, where I grew up, had a thriving Chinese culture. I started my career there in a Chinese restaurant, where I cleaned woks. Then I saw that they cooked very differently for themselves than for the restaurant guests. That made me curious.
Which cookbook should everyone have on their shelf?
Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. She was at the beginning of everything that is happening now—from local and organic to seasonal cooking. I got the book from Kees Elfring, the owner of restaurant Marius in Amsterdam, who worked for her. Alice gave me my first glimpse of a way of cooking different from the French. She taught me that a ripe tomato needs nothing but oil, pepper and salt, instead of turning it into all kinds of things in the French style.
What do you like to make at home when you want to eat quickly and well?
I never cook something quickly. I always make time for cooking. If I really don’t have time, I get roti.
Which dish do you have no self-control around?
Pizza atomica with tomatoes, cheese and spicy salami from Yam Yam pizzeria in Amsterdam. I can eat two of them. Easily.
Words: Marjan Ippel
Image: NH Collection Barbizon Palace Hotel
