< Back to Main Blog Posted: Feb 2025

Robin’s Secret Ingredient: A Passion for Food and Words

Meet Robin, our Head of Pastry. He’s here to share a secret recipe and, in doing so, a secret passion for writing that came to light when he took part in the Dream Academy here at COOK. One of the brilliant opportunities open to all the teams here is a series of one-on-one coaching sessions that are all about helping you take real steps toward your personal dreams, whatever they may be. Robin’s dream is writing. We think he’s brilliant with both food and words, and here he is to prove it.

My Journey into Catering

Not being the most academic of students, and having a huge aversion to authority, my journey through school was "hit and miss", to say the least. Often not going at all and spending my days at home bunking off, I found myself stuck with just four channels on TV (yes, kids, I said four). Daytime TV back then was basically a torrent of cookery programmes, so instead of spending my days with William Shakespeare and basic geometry, I was kept company by Keith Floyd, Rick Stein, Ready Steady Cook, Two Fat Ladies, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (he was my favourite). It’s no surprise my teachers were always calling my mother, but by my early teenage years, I could knock up a pretty good two-egg omelette with homemade chips.

Leaving school at 17, I got a job in a small bakery in Tonbridge and never left the trade. Thirty-three years later - 21 of them very happy ones working for COOK - after working in all styles of catering outlets, my passion and love for all things food is still going strong. So is the absolute pleasure of learning more every day about fresh produce and how to craft it into something delicious.

My legacy? A humble bowl of soup. My own recipe for Curried Parsnip Soup has been a staple of many a staff lunch at COOK … our army marches on its stomach. First developed in the kitchen of a small deli on Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, I’ve heard three comments more than any others over the years: “I don’t really like curry,” “I don’t really like parsnips,” and “Can I have the recipe for your curried parsnip soup, please?”

I’ll leave it for you to decide. It’s simple to make, tastes amazing, and you really should try it – even if you don’t like curry or parsnips!

Tip: Don’t peel the parsnips – just wash them well.

Curried Parsnip Soup

You will need:

3 large parsnips
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
3 chicken OXO cubes
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
1 small pot of double cream
Fresh coriander
Salt and pepper
A little oil

Method:

1. Don’t bother peeling the parsnips; just grate them or chop them up nice and small.

2. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and sweat the parsnips, chopped onion, and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes to cook off the spice. (It may catch the pan, but don’t worry.)

4. Dissolve the OXO cubes in hot water and pour in just enough to cover the veg in the saucepan.

5. Boil gently until soft (about 10 minutes).

6. Blend everything until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little more chicken stock.

7. Stir in the cream and some chopped coriander leaves, then blend again.

8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the flavour of the curry or parsnips isn’t strong enough, crumble in another OXO cube and cook gently for a little longer.