A month of good intentions

Popular New Year resolutions always include a smattering of the things that are going to make us healthier or happier: stopping smoking; losing weight; winning the National Lottery; or changing jobs. The resolutions made by the six chefs featured in our 4 January issue are no different.

While none of the six are looking for a new job - just yet - spending less time in the kitchen proved a popular resolution. Others vowed they would have a spiky haircut, stop teasing people, or spend more time with their partners.

A month into 1996, Chef revisited the chefs to discover if their resolutions were wishful thinking or not.

John Benson-Smith

Executive chef,

Victoria & Albert Hotel, Manchester

Benson-Smith has stuck to his resolution to increase the size of the sign on his kitchen door stating: "No bullshit, no cowboys!" He has replaced the original one-foot sign with a new version which is more than one-and-a-half feet long. He has also sealed it in plastic, "to stop staff from putting their grubby little fingers on it".

The sign serves as a reminder to staff of his commitment to the job. He says finding career-orientated chefs in Manchester who have the commitment to work outside the hours of nine to five is a constant challenge. "All too often chefs are only interested in football, women, short hours and going home early."

Simon Hulstone

Chef de partie,

Swallow Royal Hotel, Bristol

Hulstone has surprised himself with the effort he has made to be more lenient with room service and restaurant staff. "I have managed to bite my tongue on several occasions," he says.

However, a recent incident shows he still has room for improvement: "Room service brought me six different orders all at the same time. I knew they have only one phone and could have staggered them. So I gave them all six meals atthe same time which I knew they couldn't deliver in one go."

Hulstone acknowledges the need to keep his resolution at the front of his mind so customers are saved from having lukewarm meals delivered to their rooms.

Unfortunately, his other resolutions - to take life more seriously and to stop teasing people - are not going well. He admits he still enjoys winding people up. "I feed off it," he says. If any of the brigade makes a mistake, "such as burning something, then I make sure they don't forget about it".

Hulstone jokingly defends himself, adding: "I never hit people though. As soon as you have two Michelin stars, then you can hit people."

Michael Coaker

Executive chef,

May Fair Inter-Continental, London

Coaker's plan to have a computerised system for stock purchasing and menu planning installed in the kitchen office is progressing well. "I don't have the actual computer yet, but the connections are in place. I think you would say I am ‘on-line'." He has also enrolled on a computer training course which begins next month.

Coaker is also sticking to his resolution to spend fewer hours at the stove. "I am working 11 hours a day instead of 14." However, he admits the lull after New Year is helping, and his resolve could weaken when the restaurant becomes busier. "When the kids return to boarding school their parents will return to the restaurant."

Keeping to his resolution will mean Coaker can fulfil his wish to "get around London and go out to lunch more often".

James Martin

Head chef, Hotel du Vin,

Winchester, Hampshire

The New Year has been a difficult period for Martin. His resolution to delegate more has not been possible because his brigade has halved - from six people down to three - in the past month.

Martin says working in a kitchen with such a small brigade means he has to cook virtually everything himself. "I haven't worked anywhere as busy as this. We are almost as busy as during the Christmas period."

Although Martin has stuck with his resolution of tearing himself away from the kitchen and seeing more of his girlfriend in London, he still mixes work with pleasure.

"After finishing the dinner service I drive to London and we eat out, maybe at Quaglino's, where last orders are 1am. After about four hours' sleep I visit Covent Garden market, then Southampton market and drive back to the restaurant for lunch service."

Jean-Christophe Novelli

Head chef, Four Seasons Restaurant,

Four Seasons Hotel, London

Novelli says he was not trying to imitate anybody in particular when he made his resolution to improve his looks by having a spiky haircut and donning a pair of brown, chubby glasses.

He says his change of image was more than skin-deep. "I just want to put on a different face and not be too serious anymore. After eight years of hard work I am starting to unwind and have a laugh and a drink. I will not sacrifice everything for my job anymore."

Gordon Ramsay

Chef-patron, Aubergine, London

Taking on an extra chef de partie was one of Ramsay's resolutions and he stuck to it by giving Paulo Lotto, 22, a contract. Lotto had previously been working at the two Michelin-starred L'altra Bottiglia restaurant in Milan. "I thought I would bring him into the kitchen after the Christmas rush when the restaurant is quieter, but we are just as busy."

Unfortunately, he has not kept to his resolution to spend seven hours a night at home instead of five. He says he is not spending any more time at his flat in Chelsea and things do not look like changing - the restaurant is fully booked at lunch and dinner for the next five to six weeks, he says. "The restaurant doesn't function behind my back - every dish has to pass my eyes before it is given to the customer."

When he arrives home at midnight he spends two hours reading the text for his first recipe book, Passion for Flavour. After the book is launched in September he intends to find something new to occupy his spare time. More sleep is definitely not on his agenda. "By the time most people reach the age of 60 they will have slept for 20 years, but I want to have slept for only 10."