Pop-up chef and Mersea Island Oysterman Tom Haward talks food influences

Since launching his unique seafood eaterie in September with a celebratory event on Mersea’s magical Packing Shed Island, Tom has been busy spreading the word about his custom built kitchen which he can take wherever customers want him to.

He has already done his first pop-up event and has a host lined up for 2017, serving up fresh food, cooked by hand, along with conversation and prosecco and fine wines.

It can also be booked for corporate and private events and sees Tom serving up organic, locally sourced and ethical produce.

Tom’s family own and run the renowned Company Shed on Mersea Island and Mehalas, East Mersea, at both of which he has worked as a chef for a number of the years before launching his own venture.

For more information find Tom’s Salty Shack on Facebook.

What food reminds you of your childhood?

Sprats and mussels. Sprats are basically a slightly larger version of whitebait and Mum used to coat them in flour and cook them in a dry pan. They would get deliciously crispy and we would eat them with thick, buttery bread. We would try to eat the Sprats in such a way the end result was a head, tail and bare bones like an eaten fish in a cartoon. A family friend, who was our GP when I was a small child, remembers coming to our house and being slightly flabbergasted at the sight of me and my identical twin guzzling mussels like we were never going to eat again. We were still in nappies and were scooping steamed mussels out of the shell with happy abandon. We were barely walking and talking but we already had a love of seafood.

What is your favourite family recipe?

One of them is actually not fish related.

Again, one memory from childhood is mum making the best stuffed marrow. It’s so simple but stuff a marrow with herb infused sausage meat, top it with cheese and bake it in the oven and you have a gorgeous, warming meal. There’s always been a competition in the Haward family on who can make the best creamy mash. I wouldn’t like to suggest who the best is (me) but marrow served with really buttery mash is a pleasure. A major influence on my life as a chef and on evolving Tom’s Salty Shack is about serving amazing food, simply done. My family has created beautiful food over the years, but an overarching theme is to not overcomplicate it. I have lots of favourite recipes from my family and they all rely on great quality produce cooked with simplicity. Let the food speak for itself.

If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?

This isn’t a shameless plug, I would honestly eat oysters. Lots of them. I actually get a craving for oysters and need to eat them on a regular basis. The fresh, salty flavours are invigorating and are like a natural boost to the body and mind. I think there’s a sense of pride in the history of these weird and wonderful molluscs too. Being part of a family who has cultivated oysters since the 1700s means I feel like when I eat them I am sharing in something much bigger than simply eating shellfish. If I was on death row I think eating something which reminded me of my family would be a fitting final meal. A glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc would be a necessary added extra.

Which celebrities would be your ideal dinner party guests?

Natalie Portman’s creativeness and intellectualism would be an amazing catalyst for conversation through the night. I find her fascinating and would love to cook for her. Sharing food with people who have amazing stories to tell makes the whole experience even better.

I love Ricky Gervais and he would bring much needed humour to the table. That’s one major thing I love about hosting dinner parties; the laughter. I would also have to have my mum and dad there because they’re celebrities in my eyes. They both have interesting stories to tell and people are always keen to hear what they have to say. Perfect dinner guests.

What is your ultimate comfort food?

I’m not sure I have an ultimate comfort food. At my local pub the staff usually know what drink to pour their regulars but don’t know with me because I tend to order something different every time.

I’m like that with food, I find comfort in the variety of food available. I like to always try something new and different and that’s what I find really comforting from food. When I’m creating with food and then sharing it with other people I get a huge amount of comfort from that. I actually think my comfort food is eating something with others and seeing how much they’re enjoying it. For me, food and community is so intrinsically linked.

What is the ingredient you use most at home?

Maldon sea salt and pepper. It shouldn’t be underestimated how important seasoning food is. It’s incredible how the right amount of seasoning can take a dish to another level. I sometimes cook something at home and don’t season it just to compare the difference. I’m always trying to improve as a chef and never stop learning and seasoning food right does take practice. For me salt and pepper are as important as my knives and any chef knows how important their personal knives are!

I would always want to stress to anyone who loves to cook how seasoning is like the foundation to the dish you’re building. Don’t be afraid of it but also don’t dismiss it as unnecessary.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Anyone who knows me will testify I’m a sucker for sweets. I love cooking fresh, healthy fish and game dishes. I am in heaven when eating lobster and venison but buy me a bag of Haribo and I’m putty in your hands. Honestly, there are times when I have tell myself off and resist buying a bag of sweets. If you wanted to get a secret out of me you’d only need to promise me some fizzy cola bottles and I’d probably spill all.

What is your signature dish and what is the secret to making it?

I’m pretty proud of my hot smoked salmon; it’s really delicious. You get two types of smoking; cold smoked and hot smoked. Cold smoking infuses the fish with smoke over a long period of time whereas hot smoking cooks and smokes the fish over an intense heat. I use oak chippings to smoke my salmon and add a few delights to the chippings to enhance the smoke. I will pour whisky over the salmon and over the chippings and also add halves of lemons, coriander and ground pepper. The fish is cured in brine beforehand, to help with preserving, so adding more salt to the fish isn’t necessary. My business partner, Abi, made a fresh flavoured mango, chilli, lime and coriander relish to complement it and it really works brilliantly. It’s now a firm favourite with customers of Tom’s Salty Shack.