An awful lot of women – and men – wake up with Simon Rimmer, for he is the host and chef on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and before that, appeared on BBC2’s Something for the Weekend – both magazine-style shows aimed at easing viewers into the day while whetting their appetites for good food.
Next month he’ll swap the studio for Taste of Grampian, the popular food and drink fair which showcases the best products in the region.
Instead of exchanging jibes with TV partner, Tim Lovejoy, his verbal sparring partner in Inverurie will be chef, Nick Nairn.
“I love Nick – we go back a long way, but I don’t see him very often so it will be great to catch up with him at Taste of Grampian,” said Simon, who turned 50 this year.
“There’s usually a pre-festival dinner, but I shall try to sit a long way away from Mr Nairn as I’ve got too many memories of bad hangovers because of him,” joked Simon.
“This will be my third visit to the festival. There’s always fabulous produce. The last time I was there I tried the most amazing smoked langoustines – I can still taste them.
“They were so good we had them shipped down and talked about them on the show because they were so exciting.
“This time I’m confident I’ll meet at least 10 to 15 new suppliers who are doing new and exciting stuff.
“We’re in a recession and it’s harder to make money, but at the same time, it’s not such a big gamble to become a small producer and people are embracing that and having a go which is fantastic.”
Having a go got Simon to where he is now.
“When I was a kid I loved watching TV chefs such as the Galloping Gourmet and Fanny Cradock, but I’d no interest in becoming a chef.
“Instead, I got a degree in fashion and textile design.
“I’ve always worked for myself – designing textiles which were sold to the US, Europe and Japan and making hand-decorated ceramics and pottery which was sold in places like Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
“My pal and business partner, Simon Connolly, and I spotted a vegetarian restaurant, Greens in West Didsbury for sale.
“We wanted to buy it purely for the location as there were signs of the area becoming a cool place.
“Being creative with the truth, we persuaded the bank to lend us the money which it did on condition we continued trading as a vegetarian restaurant.
“Simon was working as a hotel manager and I’d some front-of-house experience as I’d worked in bars and restaurants, so we tossed a coin to see which one of us would become the chef.
“I lost. The only thing I could cook at that point was spag bol and a generic curry,” said Simon.
Armed with two cookery books, no culinary experience and a mild sense of panic, Simon found himself in the kitchen.
“I quickly fell in love with the idea of cooking meat-free food,” said Simon.
“Cooking vegetarian dishes makes you work harder because, while it’s easy to get blown away by a fantastic bit of meat or fish, it’s a lot harder to get blown away by an aubergine.
“Turning vegetables into something exciting takes an awful lot of effort but it also makes my non-veg cooking more interesting too.”
Within months, Greens was described by a food critic as one of the most exciting new restaurants in the UK.
Since then, Simon’s star has continued to rise and he’s now one of the most familiar faces on TV.
Possessing an insatiable curiosity, he’s constantly on the look out for the next big food trend.
“I go to New York every year and would say over there, they are a couple of steps ahead of us in terms of interesting developments in food,” said Simon.
“Over there, there’s a huge rise in blue collar American-style food such as pulled ribs and barbecued food.
“The food truck revolution, which is just starting here, is everywhere in America – it’s an exciting development.
“There’s no design element involved in creating a beautiful restaurant – so the trucks are all about the food,” said Simon.
Discussing food, showing how to make sensational dishes and having celebrity guests is all part of Sunday Brunch.
“My favourite guests are Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer – they always make me laugh,” said Simon.
“The show is two and a half hours long but doesn’t feel like work at all.
“Tim and I consider ourselves incredibly lucky.”
So, apart from a visit to Thainstone on Saturday, June 1, what else is in Simon’s diary?
“I’m working on a top-secret project which will kick off in October – I can’t tell you anything about it – and I’m also looking to buy a pub.”
Taste of Grampian takes place on Saturday, June 1 at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie. For further details, visit www.tasteof grampian.co.uk
Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds.
Article source: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/3225119