A Leicestershire hospitality entrepreneur has written his first cook book, five years after opening his first restaurant.
The book is a collaboration between Black Iron owner Kiran Parmar and former head chef (now managing director) Mike Francis.
Parmar opened Black Iron at Winstanley House after being inspired by the steakhouses of New York.
The historic hotel and events venue is set within picturesque parkland near Leicester, and has been home to Black Iron for five years.
Parmar has spent his entire working life in leisure and hospitality, and more recently teamed up with his property developer father to bring both The City Rooms and Winstanley House back into active use.
Now, he has set about writing, illustrating and publishing the Black Iron cook book.
It blends the restaurant’s best recipes with anecdotes of guests’ journeys and the restoration of Winstanley House itself.
Kiran believes the cook book is much more than just a book full of recipes.
He said: “This whole project, right from the restoration of Winstanley House through to creating the concept for Black Iron, bringing that into reality and then deciding to write a book about it has been utterly incredible, and one I certainly will never forget!
“Guests often ask our team for the recipe of a specific dish, or how a particular taste or texture was achieved, so this cook book seemed the perfect response to share Black Iron’s secrets.
“Aside from the recipes, we’ve also shared our story – from finding the derelict property, working hard to restore it to its former glory, to finally opening its doors in 2017.
“As we’ve done with Winstanley House and Black Iron, I wanted to do something completely different that really does showcase our offering and the care and attention that runs through everything we do.
“I hope it inspires guests and other readers to have a go themselves and reinvent the taste of Black Iron at home.”
The book took just six months to write, however, the recipes within have taken years to perfect.
Mike said: “Each recipe takes the Black Iron mantra as its starting point, which is to give our premium produce the first-class treatment it deserves.
“The centrepiece of Black Iron is our charcoal-fired oven and from rib-eye steaks to sumptuous scallops, high-quality ingredients are showcased through this primitive and intuitive cooking method.
“Whilst this is primarily very much a cookbook, we’ve woven the story, heritage and restoration of Winstanley House into it too, which gives it a very different feel from other cookbooks on the market.
“We hope it will be much enjoyed by readers and home cooks alike”.
Black Iron is due to be published this November in hardback and will cost £30.
