Welcome

Resilience is a word that’s frequently misused or misunderstood these days. Let’s throw out the idea of adopting a stiff upper lip in times of adversity. More helpful thinking is that resilience can be built through kindness and encouragement, by striving to create an atmosphere in which we can all do well, developing others and offering training in managing the stress we all face. Successful restaurants do this brilliantly. By supporting people of all skills, backgrounds, experience and personalities, teams function at their best and diners get a warmer experience. And this year, says Tony Naylor, despite the challenges we continue to face, we’ve seen the hospitality industry ‘roar back’. New openings and ever-more imaginative dishes keep our vibrant and diverse restaurant scene interesting, while established chefs and restaurateurs build on their success by innovating and employing new talent. There’s also comfort in the familiar, and this issue we’ve asked some of the best to share the feel-good dishes they love. Find them here.

Lulu Grimes, managing editor

@olivemagazine @lulugrimes

This month I’m…

Sharpening

Horl

I’ve been trying a new sharpener for my kitchen knives for the past couple of months. The Horl is easy to use, with a magnet on one side to hold the blade at the right angle and a roller on the other to run up and down the edge. It works well, and if you don’t feel confident using a steel, is a good investment. From £99, boroughkitchen.com.

Reading

Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many by Jeremy Lee.

Not many cookbooks are a proper read; this one is, as well as being an education into all the good recipe ideas that already exist. Plus, there’s a chapter on breadcrumbs which is excellent in our no-waste world – sherry crumbs here I come (£30, 4th Estate).

Eating

Gold chocolate. More specifically, Callebaut caramel chocolate couverture. I’ve been using this to test a recipe, coming next month. Perfect for Christmas, which is very gold adjacent. £8.99/400g, souschef.co.uk.