Mel Meets.....The Blackburne's Head Chef Jack Farthing

Whilst at The Blackburne Pub & Eatery on Liverpool’s Catherine Street the other night (for their Wednesday Steak Night), Mel met Jack Farthing.

Classically trained, Jack heads the busy kitchen and loves nothing more than a trotter or two in between preparing their popular fish & chips and developing the new menu for BLT Bar & Smokehouse.



Hello, what is your name? Jack Farthing.

Where do you work? I am the Head Chef at The Blackburne Pub & Eatery.

How long have you been cooking for Jack? 10 years.

Tell me about your current menu at the pub. The current menu is traditional British pub fayre but homemade rather than bought in rubbish. All our dishes are made on site. We offer quality British pub food in a great setting with no televisions or loud music. We try to make it about the food, the wine, the atmosphere and the service.

What's your most popular dish on the menu? One of the most popular dishes is the fish and chips. Our 8oz cod tail fills the plate in a beautiful crispy batter with hand cut chips and homemade tartar sauce.

What's the tastiest meal you've ever had? The nicest meal I have ever had was pigs trotters 'Pierre Koffman' when I was working for Marco Pierre White a long time ago. One of the most stunning dishes I have ever tasted.

What do you think of the Michelin stars - is this the ultimate goal? For me no. I just like seeing people enjoy themselves in the pub. Having a nice meal, some nice wine maybe and enjoying some live music afterwards. I like working in the pub and chatting to customers who stop you to say how much they enjoyed their day or evening. That for me is more than any Michelin star.

Who does the cooking at home? The wife! I have 3 beautiful children and they are long in bed before I get home so my partner does most the cooking and when I am off she likes to cook me a nice meal.

10 years from now, where will you be? We are currently opening a second site with something I am less familiar with. But having said that, I have built a menu around things I am familiar with and things me and my friends and family would enjoy when eating out. I spent a lot of time down south and in Wales working in traditional classic French/English pubs and restaurants. Now I feel it’s time to try something new and roll out a few decent eateries in Liverpool.

Any tips for budding wannabe chefs? Head down with open ears. There’s something to learn every day!

If you could work for any chef, who would it be? I would go and work for the Roux family.

You're in an all you can eat - what do you go for first? BEER!

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Posted: Thursday 21st May 2015
ID: 3803 - 1334