Minute on the clock: Andrew Swann, executive chef at the Castle in Taunton

Has it been a nostalgic return?

The building itself is changing due to the renovations and looks very different in parts since I was last here. While it's a fantastic and historic building, there are lots of modern conversions, both in terms of rooms and the brand-new kitchen. But some of my old colleagues are still here and they have really made this transition amazing.

What are your plans for the food offering?

The wonderful thing about the Castle is that we have several different outlets: we have Brazz restaurant, we run functions in the main castle building and we offer afternoon tea. I'm going to focus on Brazz first and plan to introduce some exciting new seasonal dishes to the menu with big, bold flavours and lots of theatre, alongside the classics.

We've got some other exciting plans in place and are looking to grow our team, so watch this space.

Can you tell us about some of the produce you're working with and the dishes you're developing?

I'm working closely with the Meat Men, a butcher local to us in Taunton, looking at how we can use more interesting cuts of meat, and including smoked joints on the menu. With our functions, wedding catering and bespoke menus in particular, we have lots of room to play with great local produce, whether it's meat from local farms or vegetables from local suppliers. We have the lot on our doorstep.

Many distinguished chefs have run the kitchen at the Castle. Do you have high aspirations? Would you like to see a star return?

I had the pleasure of starting my career at the Castle under then head chef Richard Guest while it had a Michelin star. Knowing the history of the building I would like nothing more than to push us to be the best that we can be. Recognition is always fantastic, but the most important accolade is having our guests return again and again.

We've got a really diverse range of regular and new guests coming to the restaurant, so it's going to be fun to work on a wide range of dishes to suit different tastes.

How are you approaching recruitment?

Since joining the Castle I have reached out to Bridgwater & Taunton College to set up apprenticeships and offer talks and demonstrations to the students to help excite the new generation coming through about the hospitality industry. I love training chefs and watching them grow. We are slowly building a team of amazingly talented people.

I understand the kitchen has had a big redesign – how is this pushing the sustainability agenda?

The kitchen has been converted to induction, which is so much more efficient as it only uses power when there are pans on the hobs, which really cuts down on the energy consumption, and it's quicker. There's also no chance of gas leakage and it's not as hot in the kitchen, meaning we don't have to use the ventilation systems so much – which is great for the chefs as well as the environment.