The Oyster Inn’s head chef, Jamie Hogg-Wharekawa, shares a typical Sunday at work and at home, and also one of his favourite dessert recipes - a delicious sticky date pudding - perfect for an indulgent Christmas treat.
What does Sunday look like in your kitchen?
If it’s at work it’s an early morning in the kitchen. First things first: strong coffee and a good playlist; these are essential. No deliveries from suppliers on Sunday, so you already know exactly what stock you have on hand and what prep needs to get done. Sunday roasts have been pumping lately so these days Sunday morning is spent roasting porchetta, blanching greens, baking Yorkshire puddings and roasting potatoes in duck fat, garlic and rosemary. What are the best snacks available on a Sunday in the kitchen at The Oyster Inn you ask? Porchetta end cuts bursting with pork fat and garlic and wild fennel. The ugly, almost burnt pieces of roasted potatoes that got stuck to the pan, perfectly salty and crispy. The offcuts of the sticky date pudding that didn’t quite make the cut, still warm from the oven.
I also love Sundays as it is one of the days I am cooking on a section on the hotline, either stove or fryer, both of which are always super-busy and fun to work. Sundays are also one of the days I’m usually able to get out early and head home to have dinner with my wife and daughters, which is the biggest treat of all. Of course, I’m straight into the kitchen when I get home. If it’s a Sunday at home, it’s still an early morning. Usually woken up by my 2-year-old, Olive, climbing into my bed, jumping all over me, most probably asking for a very specific breakfast item which could range from muesli with oat milk to purple jelly.
Naturally, I find myself in the kitchen, in need of a strong coffee (and a good playlist). If I do have the odd Sunday off I love making pancakes for myself and the girls for breakfast. Light, fluffy and very indulgent, with a bit of fruit on the side to make it healthy. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing around the house. For a Sunday night dinner I usually like to make a meaty pasta, some type of ragu, maybe a pork and fennel sausage ragu with sage, tossed with rigatoni and covered in pecorino.
Why have you chosen to share this dish?
I’ve chosen a sticky date pudding as it’s one of my favourite desserts and I’ve made it wherever I live all over the world; it has always been a staple. Make sure you buy extra cream for whipping.
Sticky date pudding
Toffee sauce Makes 1 bottle plus coating
750g brown sugar
900ml cream
1 tsp vanilla
120g butter
1. Put all ingredients into a pot and heat slowly until the butter has melted, then turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pudding For one big gastrotray
525g dates, stoned and roughly chopped
1 tsp baking soda
900ml boiling water
150g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
240g brown sugar
6 eggs
525g baker’s flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of salt (5g)
225g walnut halves, roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Place the dates and baking soda in a heatproof dish and cover with the boiling water. Leave to soften.
3. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cloves and salt and mix until well combined, then add the dates and their soaking water, and the walnuts, and mix well.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch, then take out of the oven.
6. Poke a lot of holes over the surface of the pudding and slowly pour the warm sauce on top.
