Meet the Chef: Oli Martin, Aven Restaurant in Preston

What is your current role and what does it involve?

I am Chef Director of Aven Restaurant, a 3-rosette fine dining restaurant that has been recognised as one of the up and coming fine dining spots in Lancashire. Here I guide the kitchen team, develop seasonal menus, and constantly push the boundaries while ensuring we stay true to our ethos of using locally-sourced and wild ingredients. As MD of Foray Catering, my role involves overseeing the operations and growth of our catering business. From menu development and building bespoke packages working closely with our wedding coordinator and events manager.

Chef Director Oli Martin - Aven opening night, September 2023

How long have you been a chef?

Twenty years now, I’ve been in professional kitchens since I was 14 working as a kitchen porter, but it wasn't until I left school at 16 I picked up a knife.

How did you first get into cooking?

While I was working as a kitchen porter I always admired the chefs, their attention to detail and passion for their craft was a huge inspiration to me. They used to give me small jobs like preparing veg and plating up the desserts, which made me feel like one of the team and I was hooked.

Where did you learn your craft?

I started to polish my skills working for Nigel Haworth at Northcote which was when I fell in love with ‘fine dining’. The fact that every day was different and the science behind the blending of flavours and development of dishes, really solidified the fact that this is what I wanted to do. I then went onto to work at Gilpin Lodge in the Lake District, learning to run the pastry section which was a whole new task altogether and I loved it. I was then promoted to junior sous chef and over saw the main kitchen. After a stint travelling and working around Australasia I came back to the UK and started working at Hipping Hall, where I took on the role as head chef for the first time in my career. This was when I started to really hone in on my own cooking styles, and got a chance to show my personality in my dishes.

What was your first job in hospitality?

My first job in hospitality was at a small bistro in Lytham called Chicory where I worked as a kitchen porter.

What is your signature dish?

I would say my signature dish is my take on an old Lancashire classic, the butter pie. I use all of the traditional ingredients but with a little Oli twist; instead of shortcrust pastry the pie is protected by a delicate filo pastry shell and inside, you have truffled dauphinoise potatoes, allium jam, Lancashire cheese custard, topped off with some crispy shallots, chive and shaved truffle, all on a bed of sweet onion gravy.

What’s been your worst cooking disaster?

I would say my worst cooking disaster came when I was on the BBC’s Masterchef - The Professionals (2018) where I slightly overcooked my duck in the final. It was one of those things where it would never happen to you in a normal kitchen, but when you're surrounded by all of those cameras and your nerves are going - all bets are off! I was in the final three which wasn’t bad, and I made up for it by winning MasterChef The Professionals Festive Knockout in 2020.

What are your culinary ambitions?

My ambition is to build on my portfolio and create a group of food driven businesses where quality is key, along with a side of good old Northern hospitality.

What do you like to eat?

What do I like to eat? This is probably the toughest question, I think everything has its place from a 3 Michelin star meal to a bowl of spicy chicken wings washed down with a pint of Farm Yard Brew Company’s IPA. I just love food, the depth of flavours and the textures but if I had to choose I'd have to go for a big juicy hand dived scallop pan roasted in butter.

How do you achieve a work/life balance?

I like to think I have a pretty decent work life balance, all things considered. I'm pretty disciplined. I'll set myself boundaries where I won’t look at a screen during certain hours when at home, and I’ll always try to get home to put the little one to bed midweek. As we all know in hospitality you have to be in the thick of it, especially when it's busy, so it’s all about utilising your time and making sure you take the time to wind down when you get chance.

Aven 10 Camden Place, PRESTON PR1 3JL

Tel: 0800 246 5555

www.avenrestaurant.com

Open Wednesday – Saturday

Aven is an intimate 32-cover fine-dining restaurant in Preston city centre, with 3 AA Rosettes. A genuine hidden gem, Aven is named after the nearby Avenham Park and opened in 2023. Chef Director Oli Martin and Head Chef Sean Wrest have since created a dining experience like no other and have gained a deserved reputation for culinary excellence and innovation. Creating intricate menus that encompass the best of Lancashire’s seasonal produce, heritage and foraged ingredients. Oli Martin is a Taste Lancashire Ambassador, supporting the work of Marketing Lancashire to raise awareness of local food and drink producers through their Taste Lancashire campaigns and activities. www.visitlancashire.com/Taste

RECIPE - Perfect for your Lancashire Day celebrations on Wednesday, November 27.

LANCASHIRE BUTTER PIE With caramelised onions and sweet onion gravy

This recipe is a really fun and easy recipe to make, no mixing machine is required, just a sharp knife and a tin to bake the butter pie in. Butter Pie has a special place in my heart, it tells a tale about northern food, comfort and warmth. We have adapted the recipe to be on the menu at Aven, and it has become our signature dish. The truffle can be remove from the recipe if you don’t like, I just find it adds a layer of elegance to the humble pie. Excess pastry can be frozen.

For the Hot Water Pastry

• 250g Water

• 110g Lard

• 2 Tsp Salt

• 500g Plain Flour.

Sift the flour and salt together, heat the water and lard until hot and the lard has melted. Mix into the flour and salt mixture to create a smooth dough. Wrap in clingfilm and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour before rolling.

For the Butter Pie filling

• 1.25kg Potatoes

• 250ml Milk • 250mll Cream

• 20g Truffle Paste (optional) • 20g Truffle Oil (optional)

• 10g Salt

• 200g Grated Lancashire Cheese

Peel the potatoes and slice them finely and arrange in layers in a deep tray lined with parchment paper, warm all other ingredients (apart from the cheese) lightly in a pan and pour between each layer adding a sprinkling of the cheese as you go.

Keep going until a 3cm thickness is achieved. Bake at 150 for 60-75minutes in a covered tray. Allow to cool to room temperature and lightly press. Cut out to fit inside the pastry cases.

For the Caramelised Onions

Salt and slice three medium onions and cook in a pan over a medium heat until they reach a nice even golden colour.

For the Sweet Onion Gravy

• 100g Shallots

• 100ml Maderia

• 500ml Good quality golden chicken stock

Caramelise the shallots, add madeira and reduce by half, add chicken stock and reduce to a nice gravy consistency To build the pie Roll out the dough to a 2mm thickness, line a pie mould and add in the truffled potato press, top with caramelised onions, add a lid onto the pie and bake in the oven at 180 degree for 50-60 mins. Serve with the onion gravy and some runner beans tossed in whole grain mustard