Introducing Nomad Chef Joshua Dickinson

Joshua’s cooking style is inspired by nature when walking through his farm and seeing what grows. Choosing to harvest the produce at their peak, then simply cooking them while keeping their identity. Joshua’s dishes are simple but at the same time surprising, with a touch of acidity or spice to keep the eater interested.

Emily Lowe

March 28, 2023

How did you get into cooking?

I took a year out after school before university to travel and decide better what to do. To earn some cash I started washing dishes in the local pub. I loved how everybody in the kitchen was so frank, there was no covering up your real personality, everything was on show. I also like the competitiveness, we had a table on the wall with everyone’s timings for peeling a 25kg sack of potatoes. I started bottom but slowly moved up the ranking, it was fun.

What do you love most about being a chef?

For me it’s the ability to brighten someone’s mood. If you are with a group of friends or family who have been going through some hard times, there can always be respite at meal time, if you are a good cook.

If you could bring 3 items to a desert island what would you bring and what would you make with them?

Olive oil, potatoes, lemons. I would make some fried potatoes, or mashed potatoes, and the lemon is for the fish I would try to catch, and to stop me from getting scurvy.

Most interesting kitchen story?

When I worked in Paris at Le Dauphin we once cooked for a Dior party on a boat on the Seine. We were preparing for days, it was for 200 people. I had to make these custard tart slices, with no pastry, lots of them were under or over cooked, it was so hard to get right. Anyway, in the end nobody ate a thing, you know the fashion world.

We also cooked for Wes Anderson when I was at Le Chateaubriand, it’s his favourite restaurant in Paris. He was wearing a dark green velvet suit, la classe.

What are your favourite hobbies/things to do on your days off away from the kitchen?

I spend most of my time on my brother and I’s farm. Days are spent sowing vegetables or herbs, planting trees, weeding and feeding animals. It really is my happy place, in the field with nothing between me and the open sky. Reading books about permaculture, beekeeping and trees.