LAST night spelled the end of Irish chef Barry Johnston’s culinary dream.
The Galway man’s Tiramisu dish was deemed the worst offering from contestants on Channel 4's The Taste. The judges, which include Nigella Lawson, reached their verdict just a week after fighting to have him on their team when they singled him out as a potential winner in the series debut.
Mr Johnston, a London-based charity worker, was sent home by his “hero” Anthony Bourdain after being lambasted for using shop-bought ingredients.
Asked what he hoped to do next after his eviction, the 28-year-old said: “Continue eating, cooking and writing. And learn how to freeze-dry my own strawberries.”
Here, he answers our questions…
How would you describe your experience on The Taste?
I loved every moment of it. A giddy, rapt experience. At once immediately familiar and alien. Mundane (It is, after all, just cooking), and exhilarating. Chopping, slicing, mincing, curing, frying and whisking, whisking, whisking.
Then, like entering a decompression chamber, a rapid come-down for the final moments coaxing and teasing the elements just so. A quick grate of horseradish and my spoons are taken from me to go to the judges.
The judges: Ludo Lefebve, Anthony Bourdain and Nigella LawsonWhat did you hope to achieve by competing in The Taste?
My main aim was to test myself and see just how good of a cook I was. If nothing else, I think I showed that on my day I can cook as well as anyone. And I got to meet and work with a hero - Anthony Bourdain.
What was it like filming in the kitchen?
From the moment I stepped on set, it is a blur. Mishaps aplenty. A cut. A band-aid. Not one, not two, but three split mayonnaises. Ovens to hot. Freezers too cold.
There’s a lot of waiting in telly. Time on set becomes elastic. Seconds and minutes stretch out into great long tranches of dead waiting time, punctuated by moments of instense activity – the bit you actually see on telly – where time snaps back on itself and an hour passes by in a heart-beat.
When did you come to London?
This is my third time living in London. I spent a summer working in Twickenham; I studied at Birkbeck for a year on 06/07; and then I moved back here in June 2011.
Richard Corrigan's Bentley's is one of Barry's favourite restaurants Photo: Bentley'sWhere is your favourite place to eat in London?
It is hard to narrow it down. I love Russell Norman's chain of restaurants; Polpo, Mishkin and Spuntino. They are really relaxed, great atmosphere, interesting food.
When I'm homesick I go to Richard Corrigan's places when I can - I particularly love Bentley's. And I'm a big fan of Vietnamese, which you can't really get back in Ireland.
What is the best meal you have had in London?
I managed to get a last minute reservation at Dabbous. It apparently has the longest waiting list in London but I managed to blag my way in, so for that alone with was memorable. And the food, of course, was sensational.
I finally made it to Honey & Co, a small Israeli restaurant in Warren St just before Christmas and that was pretty special too. It probably does the best cheesecake in London as well.
Barry enjoyed being in the kitchen from a young ageWhere is your favourite place to eat in Ireland?
Our family favourite growing up was McSwiggans in Wood Quay in Galway - a lot of happy memories of birthdays and graduations and other family occasions.
In Dublin it is La Maison on Castle Street. Also L'Gueuleton - they had a no reservations policy before it was ever cool in London. Though to be honest, the first thing I go for when I'm back in Dublin is a pint of Smithwick’s and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich in Grogans.
How long have you had a passion for cooking?
From as early as I can remember I liked being in the kitchen, helping out. An uncle of mine who I was close to was working in pubs and restaurants in London so when he'd come home to visit, he would always cook big meals for the family or take everyone out to restaurants.
He died when I was 10, and I kind of thing on took on the mantle of gourmet in the family. I started watching a lot of cooking programmes when I was younger and I would try to recreate the recipes. It grew from there.
He stayed in London over Christmas to cook for charity The Food ChainWhat was your biggest cooking disaster?
I'm generally fairly relaxed and comfortable in the kitchen, and if something isn't working out, I can adapt.
This Christmas you stayed in London to cook for homeless people. Why did you decide to do that and what was the experience like?
I decided not to go home for Christmas and needed a good reason to explain it to my Mam. I figured she couldn't give out to me if I was doing something charitable.
I'd been volunteering for a charity called The Food Chain during the year - they provide food and nutrition support for people living with HIV, so I had some experience. Through a friend I got involved with Crisis at Christmas, and worked in the kitchen in the run-up to Christmas.
I managed to knock out an edible mac ‘n’ cheese to feed 300 people, which I was proud of. Things didn't really go to plan on Christmas Day though, and I managed to slice off my nail while chopping onions so I spent Christmas morning in A&E.
No good deed goes unpunished.
