Hawksmoor’s Will Beckett is the son of highly respected food and wine writer, Fiona Beckett. So, what’s it like to be raised by a super-foodie, and how did his mother’s cooking influence his own passion for food? In our Mother’s Day interview, Will describes his childhood experiences of food at home, and shares a recipe from his Hawksmoor at Home book that was inspired by Fiona’s own style of cooking.
From the book
Hawksmoor at Home: Meat – Seafood – Sides – Breakfasts – Puddings – Cocktails
Recreate Hawksmoor's finest dishes at home
Decadent meat and seafood inspiration
Indulgent comfort food
“I lived in an odd home growing up – there were loads of us (four children) and it was chaos, not least because not a single one of us is very organised. Something that we all remember vividly, though, was the food. My mum, Fiona Beckett, is a food and wine writer (she’s currently the Guardian wine columnist and has many blogs on various aspects of food and wine) and unsurprisingly she’s a great cook, as is my step-father. All of which meant that every meal in our house was great. What I really remember was that she would make really common dishes but incredibly well, and that’s roughly what we try to do at Hawksmoor.
There’s nothing revolutionary about steak and chips, burgers, Sunday roasts etc. Hawksmoor just do them to a level that very few people can match. That’s how I remember growing up – a tuna sandwich, egg and bacon and a bowl of pasta were all amazing in my house. What I remember most though was the Sunday roast, when the chaos and noise subsided for 45 minutes as we tucked into what is still one of my favourite meals. This recipe for Ultra-Slow-Roast Rump from Hawksmoor at Home is one I use for my family now and recreates those happy memories from my childhood!”
Check out Hawksmoor’s Ultra-Slow-Roast Rump recipe here.
Hawksmoor at Home, by Huw Gott, Will Beckett and Richard Turner, is out now. Get your copy here.
Photography by Dan Lepard.
