In the box seat

When Shane Goodway became head chef at the Michelin-starred Box Tree restaurant in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, earlier this year, it marked the beginning of the biggest career challenge of his life. He had held a series of chef jobs at Michelin-starred restaurants in Britain and France, and had plenty of experience of how such kitchens operate, but until starting at the Box Tree he had never been a sous chef, let alone a head chef.

In his previous job, which he left last December, Goodway was chef tournant at Alain Passard's three-starred L'Arpège restaurant in Paris. He was one of many chefs working in the Parisian kitchen and his responsibilities were limited. Today, his life could not be more different. As head chef of the 25-seat Box Tree, he must ensure that the restaurant maintains the standards that have enabled it to hold a Michelin star since 1993.

To help him in this, Goodway has just one trainee chef, Daniel Collier, working with him. There's a lot of pressure on his shoulders but, because the restaurant is small, it is an ideal size for him to get to grips with his new role and, at the same time, train Collier. At lunchtimes there are rarely more than 10 diners, but in the evenings the restaurant is usually fully booked.

Helen-Lela Avis, owner of the Box Tree for the past 10 years, has placed her confidence in Goodway. She says: "When I took on Shane, I knew I was taking a gamble, but it is one that I am sure will pay off." She is not worried by Goodway's lack of leadership experience - and neither is he. In fact, the ambitious 26-year-old, who comes across as a self-assured character, sees it as an advantage. "I am in a good position because I am a nobody," he says. "By that, I mean that nobody knows who I am. I'm young and I have everything to prove."

By this, Goodway means he wants to prove his worth not just to himself; he wants to confirm his ability to the chefs who have helped him to rise through the ranks and get where he is today. These include Michael Caines and Michel Roux, of whom he speaks frequently.

Goodway worked with Caines as chef de partie at the two-Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, from July 1996 until May 1998. When he left, he joined Roux for two years at his three-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire. "If I have any problems, or if there is anything I am not sure of, I can just pick up the phone and speak to Michael or Michel," he says. "I am still learning and it is comforting to know I am not on my own."

Goodway joined the Box Tree in mid-January when it reopened after a two-week closure. He replaced Toby Hill, who left on New Year's Eve to take up a position as head chef at the Lords of the Manor hotel in Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire.

Moving back to Britain, Goodway traded in a fast-paced life in the chic French capital for the quiet existence of a small Yorkshire town. Asked why he did it, he answers, quite simply: "Fate." He explains: "At L'Arpège, I learnt a lot about the organisation of a Parisian restaurant, but cooking-wise I wasn't getting enough back. I wasn't developing my knowledge any further."

Goodway decided to move on from L'Arpège and return to England. Roux offered him a job as sous chef at the Waterside Inn but he did not want to go back to a restaurant he had worked at before. He also felt, with assurances from Caines, that he was ready for a head chef position. The Box Tree vacancy fitted the bill. As Goodway says: "Everything fell into place."

Since moving to Ilkley, Goodway has not looked back. Not only does he love his job, he is also pleased to have traded in the hustle and bustle of Paris for a quiet life in the Yorkshire moors.

Goodway, who was born and raised in Oxford, travelled to the Box Tree for his job interview in November last year. He left the Gare de Lyon in Paris on a cold, dark morning and arrived in Ilkley nine hours later. He had never been there before, had very little experience of the North of England and did not know what to expect. When the train pulled in at the station, the last stop on the line, it was cold, dark and raining.

Impressed
The visit was brief and Goodway had just four hours to prepare a meal for Avis and her husband, Anthony. To start, he made a lobster ravioli, followed by roasted rabbit with tarragon and wild mushrooms. Dessert was a banana and rice pudding with chestnut ice-cream. The Avises were impressed and, evidently, the meal won Goodway the job.

On arriving at the restaurant to assume command, the first task Goodway set himself was to rewrite the menu. This, in itself, was a challenge. As he soon realised, many diners at the Box Tree are repeat visitors and, while they know what they like to eat, they also know what they do not like.

One of the dishes Goodway created was a lobster tortellini starter for £11.25. It didn't sell - strangely, because it was tortellini. He changed it to lobster ravioli, hiked the price to £13.75 - and it has become one of his most popular dishes.

Since those early days, Goodway has come to understand what the diners want, and both he and they are now happy with the food. Foie gras, for example, is always in demand and, echoing this, the menu features a boudin blanc starter served with foie gras, baby onions, potato crisps and chicken jus. A favourite main course is a dish of duck breast and pan-fried foie gras, served with a tomato confit.

Pointing to the à la carte menu, which he plans to change seasonally, Goodway says proudly: "This is the result of all my ideas, all my experience and all my training. Everything I have ever seen is in here."

Goodway is, understandably, rather happy with his lot at the moment, and he hopes that the skills he is now learning will stand him in good stead in the future. His ultimate ambition is to open his own business.

That, however, is just a distant dream for now. His immediate priority is to continue getting to grips with his new role and to develop his cooking at the Box Tree. "I am happy to be cooking here," he says. "It is such a great opportunity and I feel so lucky. I want to keep my head down and keep learning my trade.

"I want people to come here and be impressed by what they eat. I want to get it right every day."

The Box Tree - a history

The Box Tree, in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, is situated in a stone farmhouse, built around 1720.

At the end of the 19th century, it was bought by a farmer, George Burton. He later sold it to Septimus Wray, who turned the ground floor into an antique shop and caf‚ for visitors. Wray planted some box trees in the front garden and called it Box Tree House.

Over the years, the house passed through several owners, during which time it became established as a tearoom. In the 1960s, it was bought by Malcolm Reid, a Leeds caterer, who with his partner, Colin Long, turned it into a restaurant serving classic French food. The pair placed their mark on the restaurant by filling it with paintings, sculptures and objets d'art. Reid and Long sold it in 1986 to Atlanta businessman Eric Kyte, who ran it as a restaurant for six years.

In 1992, it fell victim to the recession and went into receivership.

Helen-Lela Avis bought it out of receivership in August 1992 for £179,000. She also bought the furnishings, pictures and curios, and restored the cluttered and eccentric atmosphere to which guests to the Box Tree were accustomed.

Helen-Lela Avis

Helen-Lela Avis, née Kyriacopoulou, was born in Athens in 1928. The daughter of Dionysius and Cleoniki Kyriacopoulou, she was educated in Greece and Switzerland and gained a BA (Honours) degree in classics at Athens University, followed by a PhD in archaeology.

Between 1956 and 1958, she lectured in classical history and archaeology at Athens University and, at the same time, served as the official guide to guests of the Greek royal family and the Greek government.

In 1958 she married Briton Anthony Avis. Her family disowned her because she had not married a Greek, and the pair fled to England and settled in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

From 1958 to 1974, Avis taught French, classics and philosophy at grammar schools in Yorkshire. She then joined York University as a lecturer of education. Eight months later, she was forced to abandon her academic career unexpectedly after suffering a bad fall, which left her with permanent double vision.

It was then that she turned her attention to the hospitality industry and, in 1975, bought the Listers Arms hotel in Ilkley. Five years later, she sold it and used the money to buy the Crescent hotel in Ilkley.

In 1992, Avis bought the Box Tree and the following year it won a Catey for Best Function Menu of the Year. It has held a Michelin star since 1993.

Cutlets of lamb with a brochette and a basket of winter vegetables (serves four)

Gateau of apple with croquant biscuit and caramelised mint leaves (serves 12)