Chewing the fat ... with Andy Lynes

We chat to local author, food journalist and chef Andy Lynes about his career.

Tell us about how you first knew you were interested in food

When I left home at 17, I lived in a bedsit and I literally couldn't boil an egg; I lived on Beanfeasts - packets of dehydrated chili con carne. There was no real interest in food at home. My late mother saw cooking as a real chore and we were never encouraged to cook. My girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, used to come and visit at the bedsit and I wanted to cook her something, so I copied a recipe from breakfast telly of pasta with Danish salami, peas, and cream - which was the first proper thing I ever cooked. I then discovered the Roux Brothers through their TV show and things went from there. My skills increased to the extent that I made it to the a semi-finals of the 1997 series of Masterchef.

What was your background before finding success as a journalist?

I worked for BT for more than 20 years. My last position in the company was internal auditor. I travelled the world for the job, which allowed me to dine out on expenses, and I began writing about my meals on a very basic blog that I built from scratch. This was the late 1990s, so it was one of the first food blogs in the United Kingdom. That brought me to the attention of a New-York-based international food forum called eGullet.org, which is still running today. I was their UK forum host for a number of years, while still doing my BT day-job. I took voluntary redundancy about a decade ago. It's worked out OK.

What has been your career highlight?

There have been a few. Seeing my name in print for the first time, a byline for an interview with Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi for Restaurant magazine was a real buzz. A year as food and drink editor for Metro newspaper, reaching more than three million readers every week, was fantastic. Interviewing Jamie Oliver for The Times was great and my travel features for The Independent have taken me to some amazing places, including India and across the United States, including Brooklyn and Chicago.

How have restaurants developed since you began writing about them?

There are many more high-quality restaurants than a decade ago. There has been a palpable shift away from chef-led restaurants towards concept-driven establishments - things like small plates and restaurants that serve a very limited menu, such as ramen noodles, barbecue food, or steaks. Places like 64 Degrees and The Coal Shed in Brighton wouldn't have existed when I started writing. I think we're in a golden age for dining out in the United Kingdom and there are a lot of very talented, passionate and clever people making a big difference to the scene at the moment.

On Friday (February 6), you launched your first pop-up alongside your son. How did the idea for this come about?

I've done quite a few pop-up events over the last couple of years with the Brighton Food Society, of which I am the co-founder. But I really wanted to do something under my own name. My son is 21 and has been a chef for only a couple of years - but he has come on leaps and bounds in terms of his knowledge and skill, so I thought it would be good fun and a good showcase for the both of us.

Lastly, what can we expect from you in 2015?

I've recently written my first book, which will be published in May and I'm very excited to have just published by own ebook Kingdom of Cooks: Conversations with Britain's New Wave Chefs. There are a couple of other book projects in the pipeline, too. I'm continuing to write for the national press and I'm contributing editor to Seasoned by Chefs magazine, which keeps me busy. But I'm planning to do a lot more food and drink events this year both in Brighton and in London.