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As Executive Chef, Suree Coates who runs the King and Thai at Broseley with her partner Simon Turner has a real passion for food, and she was recently prised from her kitchen to ask a few questions about what motivates her.

Recently awarded the 'UK best Thai Eatery' Award - Suree grew up in Thailand and moved to England 20 years ago. She and Simon ran the original King and Thai in Ironbridge before relocating to the old Forester Arms in Broseley.


What is your earliest memory of food?

Cooking with my grandmother at the age of about five. As a small child in Thailand it was my job to set the fire as everything was cooked over charcoal, and to make the curry paste. Many hours of pounding away at a pestle and mortar taught me the importance of a good quality food processor. My grandmother taught me the importance of good quality raw produce and that fresh cooked food is always the best. In Thailand food is a very big deal, it's a family affair with everyone getting involved. My father would bring fresh fish from the river; herbs and spices grow wild and can be picked fresh, fresh vegetables were always available and locally grown. This is how Thai food should be, and it's what I strive for from the King and Thai.

Who influenced your decision to become a chef?

I fell on being a chef by accident. During my younger years I, like many Thai girls, was taught how to cook at school; this included the basics and how to cook for larger numbers of people. Upon leaving school I progressed into further education where the food education course included everything from hygiene to decorative fruit carving. I knew that cookery would be my path as I enjoyed watching people eat the dishes I'd produced. To this day it's something that still pleases me - to see and hear people enjoy the food I've produced. It's what I think being a chef is about.

What was the first dish you cooked?

This is a hard one as it was so long ago. It was most likely a red or green curry I'd cooked under guidance from my grandmother for the rest of my family.

What is your favourite ingredient?

Any type of seafood. Back in Thailand fish is a staple food, be it fresh water or sea caught. We put fish on the menu at the restaurant most nights and only use fresh, it's very popular but we are restricted to how much we have in as its shelf life is short and we try to keep waste to a minimum. In the UK now there is a great selection of fish and I try to come up with new dishes which complement the fish available to me on that day.

Where is your favourite restaurant?

I don't have a particular favourite but I'm lucky living in Shropshire as we have some very fine restaurants that cater for all tastes. Ludlow is famous for its fine cuisine but closer to home there are some fantastic places from the village pub doing a fantastic Sunday carvery using local beef and seasonal veg to the new breed of Indian restaurants who are moving away from the balti house style of cuisine to a more refined dining experience.

Which celebrity chef/s do you admire?

I do like Gordon Ramsay but mainly for his vision and business acumen; Rick Stein because he's passionate about fish and treats it with respect. I loved meeting teh Hairy Bikers early this year at the Shrewsbury Flower Show - they loved my food, and use of local ingredients, and were keen to visit our restaurant, and said they will be back.

Which nationality cooks the best food?

Hard one that, I'd be biased if I said Thai. I'm fond many types of food, I love a good Sunday roast, like Italian and French cuisine and I've a special fondness for southern Spanish food with all its mixture of Moorish influences. I love the freshness of the seafood and the simplicity of the preparation. Tapas are fantastic if the right places are found. I'm lucky as my partner's mother lives in Almeria in the south and as it's not a tourist trap the food is genuine and local. It's an agricultural area on the coast so seafood and good fresh vegetables are readily available. Being only 50 miles from Morocco the north African influence creates an interesting blend of flavours.

What is your favourite piece of equipment?

My wok burner, It cooks quickly sealing in the flavour while maintaining the crisp and crunch of the vegetables, It's not for the faint hearted as my partner puts it: "Its three jet engines bolted to a table" and he's not far wrong when the kitchen is in full swing.

What is the best meal you've ever cooked?

I did a big roast dinner one Christmas ago, I'd got a big rib joint from my butcher, it was Dexter rare breed beef, 21 days old and had great colour and marbling with a good layer of fat. This was roasted for a very long time on a low heat over a bain marie. I did roasties cooked in dripping and fresh winter veg. This type of cooking isn't my natural style but I had fun and was very pleased with the results.

What is your family's favourite meal?

Any where we can all sit down together as a family. This tends to be a Sunday thing so I guess it's a roast dinner.

Have you ever been injured in the kitchen?

I once splashed boiling hot oil over the back of my hand while turning a fish over, it was a very bad burn that took the skin off but it was a Saturday night and we had a full house so I had to carry on, In those days I was the only chef, I wrapped it in a cloth and just kept running it under water for the rest of the night. I'm now a lot more careful when frying fish.

Have you ever had any cooking disasters?

Oh plenty, but my partner hides the evidence. It tends to go like this:
Simon: "What's for dinner love?"
Me: "Here, try this."
Simon: "What is it?"
Me: "Just eat it and tell me what you think."

He's pretty good and tells me if it's good or not.

Have you cooked for anyone famous?

We had Mark Williams from The Fast Show dine with us. He came back the next night as well....I also prepared some food for the Hairy Bikers earlier this year - they loved it!

What would you choose for your last meal on earth?

Wow, very hard one this, It would most likely be all my fave things on one plate, so I'd have fish with roast beef and pork and chocolate, It wouldn't be pretty. It would have to stimulate all my taste buds, so you'd have spicy and salty with sweet and sour. It would have to be comforting as well as textured with fragrant hints.
Sounds a lot like Thai food then.

Why not visit The King & Thai and enjoy Suree's passions for food yourself....she is often in the restaurant meeting customers, so you can ask her your own!