Lee Mangles is head chef at Silversmiths in the city centre, an award-winning restaurant that prides itself on high-quality cooking made with ingredients sourced exclusively from Yorkshire-based suppliers, around 60% of which are based in Sheffield. All of their meat is hand reared, high welfare and comes from local farms, and everything that passes through the kitchen is freshly prepared. If you sample their food you’ll see their list of awards is well justified. We talked to Lee about cheffing at Silversmiths.
It’s a classic question, but what inspired you to become a chef?
That has to be my late gran. We were always busy in the kitchen when I was younger, making lemon curd and jam tarts and salt & vinegar crisps.
What is your signature dish?
My signature dish is on the Silversmiths menu now. It’s a lamb dish with sweetbreads, carrots and wilted greens. It’s great as it can follow the seasons by using lamb, hogget [meat from a sheep between one and two years old] or mutton [meat from older sheep].
What’s the most complicated dish you’ve ever made?
I’ve got a chicken dish on at the moment which is quite tricky. It’s stuffed with liver, poached then roasted. The trick is to keep the liver pink inside the chicken. It’s served with homemade black pudding and chorizo.
What would be involved in the greatest sandwich ever made?
I reckon it has to be a Sheffield fishcake butty, homemade mushy peas and spiced tomato ketchup (a regular staff treat).
What are the most stressful cooking conditions you have ever had to work in?
The most stressful? Maybe La Parade De Chefs cooking competition in London. We were in a glass encased kitchen cooking for around 100 customers within two hours, against some top London hotels and we won gold, which was an amazing achievement.
What do you think you need to be a successful chef?
Passion, hard work, commitment, an eye for detail… The list could go on. But you also need a good sense of humour.
Who are your local food heroes?
Good question. There are so many food heroes for me in and around Sheffield, all of which do an amazing job promoting what we have to offer. From honey and cheese to ice cream, bloggers and independents, these are people that love their food and city with a passion greater than none.
Silversmiths is all about seasonal produce. What are you using most at the moment?
This is a great time of year, so at the moment I’m using rhubarb, asparagus, nettles and lamb. Wild garlic is fab, plentiful and better still free. Soon we will be seeing the berries and cherries which I pick from near to my house.
Being a chef must be incredibly stressful. What do you do to relax?
Sometimes it can be a stressful job, other days it’s my favourite hobby (that I get paid for), but I spend time relaxing with family and friends. At Silversmiths we have a very family feel. We often go on staff trips together which is brilliant.
Lee’s Rhubarb Cheesecake recipe features in Now Then #74 and in the Sheffield Cook Book, which is on sale now.
Words: Jenny Shaw & Sam Walby
