Table Talk

Table Talk: At Home with Olivia Burt

The very best hosts have it down to a fine art: from setting the table to impress to gathering a good mix around it. Every other month, join us in the homes of some of the greatest tastemakers as they lay the table and chat to us about the ingredients behind the perfect night in. Who better for our festive edition than a tastemaker in every sense – private chef and author, Olivia Burt.

The Art of Hosting with Olivia Burt

We spent the afternoon in Olivia's West London apartment as she cooked up a storm from her debut recipe book, Good Looking Cooking, sharing several adaptions for Rebecca Udall readers and laying the table to feast together from.

What’s your single most favourite thing about hosting?

I love the sharing element of hosting. I just think that it removes the awkwardness of an already-plated plate that makes it all formal. I build my tables around the idea of sharing, like a huge roast chicken that everyone dives into – sounds basic, but done right, it’s one of the greatest classics. Sides to share make the whole thing more interesting too. A table looks more beautiful filled with food to me – seasonal British vegetables like roasted pumpkin with smoked cheese, charred broccoli and my parmesan potatoes. They all come together and make the table come to life and your supper party too.

Name the one thing you notice and appreciate most when being hosted by someone else?

Timing. When you’re hosting, you want to be present, but when there’s food to cook it’s hard to juggle. So I’m always impressed when people manage to pull off both. Again, this is where I find small plates really help – dishes you can prep before, or at least some of them, to take off the pressure and still create something impressive.

Perfect crockery or perfect table linens: if you could only have one which would it be?

Crockery: it makes such a difference to how the food looks. I’ve cooked at so many places with bland crockery, and I always think but why, the crockery elevates things hugely. I love a mix and match table too with crockery from different places, different times, but that hang together in that perfectly imperfect way.

Insider Scoop: what’s your number one spot for supper?

There’s a place in Holland Park called 6 Portland Road that I used to go to when I had my restaurant. It’s British but has a distinct low-key Parisian feel to it. It’s hard eating out as a chef and to find a genuinely great steak, but they get it so right with fantastic ingredients cooked well rather than so many who overcomplicate. I like simple food done beautifully and would always have their chateaubriand with a mix of honestly delicious vegetable sides.

Dish the dirt, who’s the best person who has ever hosted you?

My mum is a massive host, which is probably where I've got it from. Going back to timing, it’s something she has always said she wants to be better at which I’ve tried to help with and now she can’t get enough of hosting. She has a timeless style of cooking – dishes we’ve had since we were children, but she does it all so beautifully. The dining table, the seating plan, the little things – she considers them all.

You’re having friends over for supper, what’s your go-to dish and drink?

Again, it’s got to be roast chicken because it’s easy and everyone is familiar with it. It’s not a daunting dish but a welcoming one. It’s the secret little things you do to it which you elevate matters, like my citrus brine that I’ve shared with you. It’s great for turkey at Christmas too. As for drinks, I’m a Monkey 47 lover so it’s that with fresh cucumber and crisp tonic.

And what’s your ultimate host-with-the-most finishing touch?

Herbs and flowers are what I’ve always loved, because they’re such little things that make dishes look amazing. You can share a recipe for people to replicate, but how you make things look is what ups their game some more. I want to make food that tastes amazing and looks even better. That’s why I styled and cooked everything in my cookbook so anyone using it can dress up their dishes. I extend the same thinking to my table – bud vases and bigger vases are always welcome.

Olivia Burt x Rebecca Udall: The Edit

Olivia’s quick-fire five picks straight from the Rebecca Udall collection.

Your go-to glass: The Murano Millefiori. I love statement glassware because it adds something so different to the table and shows it’s not all about the wine glass.

Pick a plate, any plate: Obviously I have to choose the Olivia. When plating food to make it look good, you don’t want something too distracting. Plain and light but with a decorative flourish is perfect so these white plates with their green hand painted lining is just perfect. Detailed, but not too busy.

Cutlery, take your pick: The Classic Cutlery collection in Fern Green. I gravitate towards white tablecloths a lot of the time and find that green touches pair so well and when you start to layer things in like your chicken, the orange of a pumpkin, the burgundy of a beetroot, you know that green will just always work.

Your number one napkin: I’d choose the Scalloped Napkins in Artichoke. I’ve had mine for years and I love them, though I kind of want people to never use them and just admire them!

Your tablecloth one and only: I might like white but I really fell for the Black Cherry as a great festive base. That with the Olivia in green is simply very merry to me.