The Hadleigh Ram has a fresh new Chef

30 Aug 2016

The Hadleigh Ram is a bar & restaurant, part of Stuart Inns – a group founded by young entrepreneurs; Lorna, Oliver & Iain Macmillan. They are ‘three of kind’ when it comes to the operation of their venues located in three of Suffolk’s most inviting towns; The Long Melford Swan, boutique restaurant & bar, The Hadleigh Ram, bar & restaurant and the Lavenham Greyhound, a fine Suffolk pub.
The restaurants, bars and pub all offer comfortable, yet informal, dining in historic refurbished surroundings with cosy log fires, unusual menus, and engaging, well trained and knowledgeable staff extend a warm welcome to all.

The Hadleigh Ram – keeping it fresh

The Hadleigh Ram, opened in May 2013, was the second in their group of boutique restaurants; it quickly became known for its exciting variety of dishes and fresh, locally sourced ingredients and is featured in the Michelin Guide.
Lorna explains “With timber beams and original features, The Hadleigh Ram, is thought to be one of the oldest Inns in Hadleigh. Located just off the Market Square in the historic heart of the town, we carried out an extensive refurbishment programme, but wanted to make sure we retained its previous ‘Suffolk ale house’ charm. Guests can now eat alfresco in our sun-filled courtyard garden or in our lovely elm-floored dining room complete with exposed oak beams and wood burning stove for the colder months.”

Adam Pickard – a fresh talent

Trained Chefs, Oliver and Iain oversee teams of talented chefs, devising exceptionally tasty and very different menus, specialising in local seasonal and nationally sourced fresh produce ranging from 28 day aged beef to local partridge, quail, crabs and lobster.
At the Hadleigh Ram the Head Chef is Adam Pickard. He works closely with local suppliers and regularly changes the menu to take advantage of the fresh seasonal ingredients available. He sources fresh fruit and vegetables from Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire growers as well as locally sourced Suffolk meat, game, fish and poultry. The first meal Adam ever cooked was Spaghetti Bolognese for his mother, but it was his Grandfather, an excellent cook with a signature dish of steak and asparagus, who was the biggest influence on Adam’s choice of career. Once deciding on becoming a Chef Adam studied at Farnborough College, Hampshire before gaining his first Chef position at a 5 star hotel in Surrey where guests included celebrities and sports stars. Following a gap year in Australia, working under Matt Moran, star of Australian Masterchef, he returned to his homeland to work for Marco Pierre White in Lavenham, Suffolk.
Having decided to settle here with his girlfriend and most recent addition Molly, a 10 week old Springer Spaniel, the team was delighted when Adam chose to join as Head Chef at The Hadleigh Ram in March 2016.

We invited Adam to answer our Five Kitchen Questions: –

Who would you invite for Dinner?

Tom Kerridge – having seen how he has taken standard pub food to Michelin standard has been such an inspiration and so good for the hospitality and catering industry. I have also met him and he is a really nice person, an ideal dinner guest.

What’s your favourite thing to do in your kitchen?

Prepping the meat when it first comes in to the kitchen, which takes a lot of skill. I particularly enjoy working with whole pigs, making my own bacon with black treacle, a special ingredient to bring out the flavours of the meat.

What would you change about your kitchen?

Working in a modern, state-of-the-art kitchen, the only thing I would change would be air conditioning. Kitchens can be incredibly hot places, especially in the summer months.

What’s your must-have kitchen gadget?

My Tsuki knives and also my veg peeler – would be lost without them

The kitchen gadget I couldn’t be without?

The Vac Pac machine, which vacuum packs ingredients and enables me to cook Sous Vide using water baths. This method of cooking helps compress and marinade the ingredients creating better, more intense flavours and preserves ingredients for longer.