Simon Hopkinson

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Simon Hopkinson
Born (1954-06-05) 5 June 1954
Bury, Lancashire
Nationality British
Occupation Chef, writer
Known for Cooking
Height 5ft 9in

Simon Charles Hopkinson (born 5 June 1954 in Bury, Lancashire) is a food writer, critic and former chef. He is considered to be one of the best cookery writers working today.[1]

Early career

Hopkinson started his career at the age of 17 in the kitchens of Le Normandie in Birtle, Lancashire under the supervision of Yves Champeau. Following on from this in 1978 he became the youngest chef to acquire an Egon Ronay Guide star with his restaurant The Shed in Dinas in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.[2]

The next two and a half years he spent as an Egon Ronay inspector. He returned to London and after a three-year stint as a private chef, was installed at Hilaire which opened in Old Brompton Road in 1983. A friendship with the Conrans led to the establishment of Bibendum in 1987, where he worked as chef and joint proprietor with Sir Terence Conran and the late Lord Paul Hamlyn.[2]

Bibendum

Bibendum was created out of the abandoned Michelin House on Fulham Road which served as Michelin's UK headquarters from 1911 to 1985. Inside the restaurant Hopkinson continued his philosophy of well-judged simple cooking which he garnered from his influences Richard Olney, Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David.[3]

He also began a cookery column in The Independent newspaper and in 1994 his first book 'Roast Chicken and Other Stories' (co-authored with Lindsey Bareham) was published. It later won a Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award.[4] In 2005 it was voted 'Most Useful Cookbook of All Time' by Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine.[1]

Also in 1994 Hopkinson suffered what he termed a "mini-breakdown" during restaurant service one evening. He left Bibendum early in 1995 to devote his time to cookery writing. He was replaced as head chef by Matthew Harris.[1]

Other writing

Simon Hopkinson has written several other titles since leaving Bibendum, including:

  • Gammon and Spinach and Other Recipes
  • Second Helpings of Roast Chicken
  • The Vegetarian Option (which contains two non-vegetarian options)
  • Week In Week Out
  • Sweetbreads, Liver and Kidneys

With Lindsey Bareham:

  • The Prawn Cocktail Years

With Terence Conran and Simon Harris:

  • The Bibendum Cookbook

Television

In June 2011, Hopkinson presented his cooking show The Good Cook, every Friday after the One Show on BBC. The series consisted of 6 episodes, being frequently repeated on BBC Two and some excerpts used on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen. From June 2013, Hopkinson has presented a new show called 'Simon Hopkinson Cooks' on Channel 4's digital channel More 4.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Moir, Jan (9 August 2005). "This man is the best cook in Britain". Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Bibendum : People". Bibendum. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
  3. ↑ Viner, Brian (13 August 2005). "Simon Hopkinson: The reluctant chef – Profiles, People". The Independent. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards". TheRagens Wine Pages. Retrieved 18 November 2010. 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Simon Hopkinson
  • Biography from Bibendum's website
  • 'This man is the best cook in Britain', Jan Moir 2005
  • RoosterTeeth Podcast No. 205
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