Antony Shirley, Executive Chef at the Seafood Pub Company

Antony is a former sous chef at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, head chef at Panacea in Manchester and at Raffles in the West Indies. He was instrumental in setting up and opening the first Piccolinos restaurant and later served as their UK development chef. Now Antony’s creative dishes are the star of the show at the Seafood Pub Company. He won the Development Chef Awards Best Pub Group Menu 2014. The Seafood Pub Company has six current sites in Lancashire: The Oyster and Otter in Feniscowles, Blackburn; The Assheton Arms in Downham, Clitheroe; The Fenwick in Claughton, Lancaster; Farmers Arms in Great Eccleston, Fylde; Derby Arms in Thornley, Longridge and the Barley Mow in Barley, Pendle. A seventh site, Town Green Brasserie in Aughton, Ormskirk, is due to open at Easter.

• What is your favorite cookery or food book or publication?

Lucky Peach is a great food mag, lifestyle and bits from around the globe

• What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you?

All the best ingredients in one county

• If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to be ?

Drummer in the Artic Monkeys, artist or joiner.

• Which piece of kit could you not do without?

Robata grill - a Japanese open grill - we have one in each kitchen, they add an amazing
smoky barbecue flavor

• Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

Noel Gallagher, Mark Hix, Elvis, Damien Hirst, Fred Perry, Joycelyn Neve, Alex Turner
from the Arctic Monkeys and Morgan Freeman to narrate the evening!

• What advice would you give to your younger self?

Calm down and don't ever doubt yourself

• Describe your style in three word

World, Colourful, Spice

• What was your latest foodie gadget purchase?

We don’t do gadgets in our kitchen, fire and flame do us just fine!

• What is your greatest achievement to date?

Helping to start the Seafood Pub Company and everything we've achieved, it just keeps
getting better

• What is the worst mistake you have made?

Forgetting the flour for a cookery demo, I was making flat breads, the demo was in the
middle of nowhere; it wasn't my greatest demo