In conversation with Elliot Hill, Head Chef at The Chester Grosvenor

We sat down with Elliot Hill, Head Chef at The Chester Grosvenor to talk about Cheshire Day, Local produce and what’s great about the county. 

The food history here in Chester and Cheshire is both rich and long, with stories of the Romans experimenting with local produce and flavours going back over a thousand years which is something many visitors may be unaware of, “[People] come to see some old Roman walls, which then became mediaeval walls, which then became a tourist attraction, whereas actually people don't know why the Romans were here and what they did, What they ate here, which is more important for me as a chef, they just obviously had to eat what was ever around at the time, like local chicken…they would literally just cook them on a fire. They would have had them marinated and they would have sold almost like street food at the Amphitheatre. So you imagine going down to the Amphitheatre, you know what, 1900 years ago to grab a bit of Nando's back then.” 

Part of this years Cheshire Day celebrations is to highlight the amazing produce we have here in Cheshire and why its important to buy local, Elliot told us that buying local isn’t just about supporting the local economy but it is often a better quality product; 

“The good thing about buying local is that certainly for vegetables, fruit, etcetera, the less time that's been picked up out of the ground, the better it tastes, the more vibrant it tastes, the more nutritious it is. So that's the idea[…] It's had less air miles, which is obviously good, for carbon footprint and therefore ethically better as well.” 

Cheshire Day isn’t just about our local produce and food, it is also an opportunity to promote the rich and diverse history of the county so we asked Elliot (a Cheshire local, born and bred) what he loves about Cheshire. 

“Personally, I grew up in Malpas, which is South Cheshire. It’s quite spread out in terms of the towns and villages, that sort of stuff, which is which is lovely. The location I think is absolutely world class. I don't think you can get much better than that in terms of location, you know, within three hours from Cheshire to anywhere.  

You can be pretty much in the middle of a city or on top of Snowdon. That is phenomenal and the location is great and the variance in Cheshire is brilliant as well. You can be a really humble region being Chester, which has got history, you've got Crewe, which is industrious. The variety of towns and cities we have in Cheshire is actually really, really good and something should that should be celebrated, you know, from one end to the other. You've got everything from the Dukes estate down to loads of farmers and, and a really sort of rich history.” 

“I cycle past the park every day, the Amphitheatre, walls into the Chester Grosvenor, which is 160 years old this year, and I think that's really, really interesting. You don't realise that, you know, if you go to a different town or something, you don't have that. Yeah, that's really something you take for granted.” 

With a huge selection of local produce available and a great choice in bespoke Cheshire Day products this year, we asked Elliot whats important about trying local foods and the experience it creates and he left us with this top tip for trying the Cheshire Day food items 

“Stop, taste it. Think about what you eat at first and enjoy it.” 

Don’t forget to Visit The Chester Grosvenor this month to try their unique Cheshire Day dish of New season Barbecue Cheshire Potatoes. With wild garlic from by the river, Cheshire Cheese and Estate Dairy yoghurt.  

Please Visit Cheshireday.co.uk for more information on the businesses supporting Cheshire Day with bespoke menus and delicious treats and find out how you can get involved in Cheshire Day and enter our official competition to WIN a Chester break for two by telling us your favourite place to eat in Cheshire.