A HOTEL’S cuisine is set to return to its former glory with a new head chef at the helm. Jim Hamilton has joined the Hotel Hougue du Pommier and plans to lead the kitchen team forward into a new era of cooking.
‘The idea is to get back to the heyday of the hotel as it was 15 or 20 years ago, when it was one of the most popular in the island,’ he said.
‘I would also like to take on juniors from the College of Further Education to train them for their NVQs.
‘It should be a work-based programme and it would be beneficial for them to get into the kitchen as much as possible.’
Mr Hamilton comes from Essex, but has lived and worked in the Bailiwick for five years.
He has worked at several Michelin establishments in the UK and was a finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition three years ago.
He said Guernsey’s cuisine ranked well in the modern international scene and the island was home to several talented chefs.
‘One of the most popular dishes in Guernsey is of course scampi - you just can’t get away from it.
‘I wouldn’t say the island is old-fashioned, but it hasn’t yet bucked some of the trends of the 80s.
‘When tourism was a big thing here it was also good for the cuisine, but perhaps now it is a bit more focused on catering for the locals.’
The Hougue du Pommier Hotel has been owned by Dr Mike Tai and Julie Payne since December last year and employs 20 people, from chambermaids to chefs.
It maintains a close relationship with tour operators in the UK and further afield.
Dr Tai said he was delighted to have Mr Hamilton join the hotel and looked forward to sponsoring him in the next National Chef of the Year competition.
‘Jim has made a huge difference to the business since his arrival in terms of quality of ingredients, presentation and, most importantly, flavour,’ he said.
‘He is an extremely helpful person and a very ambitious head chef.’
Article posted on 2nd January, 2008 - 12.00am
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