Ellis Barrie
Ellis got his big break in cooking aged just 15, at Fellini’s in Liverpool.
Published: 25 February 2020
I couldn’t have chosen a better team of chefs to work alongside and compete with… my competitive spirit definitely came out!
After developing his skills in restaurants across Liverpool and Australia, he eventually relocated to his family home in Anglesey, where with his brothers he turned an abandoned chicken shed on an old camp-site into one of the region’s most talked-about restaurants, the Marram Grass.
After realising how much pork is imported into Wales, he set up his own farm next to the restaurant, providing it with his own home grown vegetables and meat. On top of this, he can often be found foraging for wild garlic along the Anglesey coast. All of which means it’s little surprise that The Marram Grass won Best Bistro/Brasserie of the Year at the Anglesey Tourism Awards, and Ellis personally was named one of the most promising names in hospitality under 30.
Why did you choose to take part in Ready Steady Cook?
I loved the programme as a kid. It pushed me into actually wanting to cook. It’s food which is accessible, you can go to the supermarkets and cook it in time, with good budgets. So, everybody can relate to it.
What was your biggest disaster in the competition?
I turned the oven off! I was doing pastries and luckily it just sort of… worked. Next time I think I’ll put it on a higher temperature!
How did you cope with the timed challenges?
I just take off. I wind my feet up before we start, and as soon as that twenty minutes starts counting down I just go ‘pewww’.
How did you find the show’s new eco credentials?
You learn so much, you know in the day and age of sustainability. I think people need to be able to understand how they can do it at home because we put so many demands on people, but it’s like: "Well okay, you tell me that I can’t use a plastic bottle or I can’t do ready meals, well what am I meant to do?"This is where Ready Steady Cook comes in.
What was your favourite dish?
I did a banging little Italian Pavlova type of meringue, that was naughty.
What was it like working with the other chefs?
Bangin'! I couldn’t have chosen a better team of chefs to work alongside and compete with… my competitive spirit definitely came out!
