Contributed by Copthorne Plymouth General Manager Mr Raj Singh.

Raj has been with the Millennium Hotels and Resorts family since September 2017, first joining Copthorne Birmingham as Hotel Operations Manager. Thereafter, he moved to an interim General Manager role at Copthorne Merry Hill-Dudley and Copthorne Manchester, before joining Copthorne Plymouth as General Manager in September 2018.

As General Manager, Raj is the face of the hotel and is usually present “on the floor”, meeting with as many guests as possible. As the UK under lockdown since 23 March, the hotel has been accepting only bookings from key workers as designated by the government. With lower occupancy and a number of staff on furlough, Raj has been multi-tasking in various roles, and has proven to be a competent chef! He shares his experiences in the hotel kitchen.

Cooking has always been a passion of mine, and I consider myself to be a reasonably good cook. While my friends and family have praised the food I cooked, you know it is a true compliment when they go for second helpings!

One of my personal best dishes comes with 30 years of experience behind it! It is the humble yellow lentils with crispy potatoes in fenugreek (an herb common in South Asian cuisine), served with steamed rice. Other specialties I have picked up from one of the French chefs I have worked with is a gourmet burger with Cajun spices, as well as tandoori (an Indian mix grill).

As I’ve always enjoyed cooking, I had a casual discussion with Copthorne Plymouth’s Head Chef Matt Carder earlier this year in January, to come into the kitchen and help out in the evenings as a way for myself to learn and develop new skills. He agreed, and I obtained my Level 3 Award in Food Safety for Catering that same month.

Matt has previously worked for many famous chefs including Michelin-starred chefs Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White, and working with him with him has been such a fruitful experience! I am able to put my skills to the test in the real world. It has also been a way for me to help out in the hotel kitchen. While we had to reduce the number of working staff due to lockdown measures, our restaurant still remains open for key workers to order food via room service. I leave Matt to do the heavy lifting in the kitchen, but I do assist with firing the ovens, adding the final touches and making sure the fridge is stocked!

I will always remember the time after completing my initial training with Matt when I was working on my own and suddenly, I had 10 food orders lined up! It was fun, and I think I managed it pretty well!