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WHAT kind of a modern chef does Philip Howard call himself? He's never been seen on television food gameshows cracking eggs and jokes. He doesn't throw pots, pans and insults at his staff. He doesn't stride out of the kitchen to eject diners from their seats.
So what sort of a modern chef is he? Well, very unassuming, but nevertheless one of the top dozen in the country. Though only 32, he actually believes his place is in the kitchen, improving his cooking skills - skills which rate a considerable eight out of 10 in The Good Food Guide and which have won him two rosettes in the Michelin guide.
Unusually for such a high flier, Philip is Anglo- Saxon through and through. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to Connecticut in the US before his parents settled in London. However, it wasn't until he went to university (to read microbiology at the University of Kent) that he had even the faintest idea of pursuing a career in food.
It was there, while sharing digs with two mature students, that he started to cook. "It's one of those things. I really enjoyed it, minute in, minute out," he says. Cooking may be an art but it is very much a scientific process, too, and his course work fed his passion.
Take one example: salt - the most used (and abused) ingredient in the kitchen. It alters the taste and character of everything. If you understand the chemistry you'll know when to use it while frying onions. Salt draws out moisture, so if you sprinkle it on onions when you begin to fry them, it makes them...