Chef, author and restaurateur Simon Stallard is featured in our latest Classic Men’s Look, The Host, wearing the Tricker’s Stow Country Boot in Espresso Burnished.
For Simon Stallard, hosting begins long before anyone arrives at the table. It starts with the fire, the fuel, the produce and the setting, each considered in relation to the other. A chef, author and the founder of The Hidden Hut and The Standard Inn in Cornwall, Simon has spent more than two decades reshaping how people experience food, taking it out of fixed kitchens and placing it firmly in the landscape.
Trained in traditional kitchens and having worked internationally, Simon’s move into outdoor cooking came as much from circumstance as choice. Working from a remote beach hut with no power forced a rethink, turning limitation into opportunity. “The hut is so remote,” he explains. “We didn’t have any power, so we started developing ways of cooking with different fuels.”
That necessity sparked a deeper curiosity. Different charcoals. Different woods. Building grills from scratch. Over time, Simon found himself in a space that felt instinctive. “It’s sort of that bracket of chef meets the wild outdoors,” he says. “I’m madly into just being outdoors and not trapped in a kitchen.”
Cooking with Fire
Today, Simon’s work is defined by mobility. His team can be found wherever the conditions feel right, from beaches and forests to walled gardens, greenhouses and deserts. “We love that idea that we can take the table and the fire to the people,” he says. “We could be on a mountain one day, in a cave the next, on a beach the following.”
The variety is deliberate. Each event is shaped by its environment, often using produce and fuel sourced close to where people are eating. “The produce is a massively important part of what we do,” Simon explains, “as well as the fuel, and where we’re doing it. All of those three brought together.”
That attention extends to the smallest details. Simon speaks passionately about heat profiles, smoke levels and burn times of different fuels. “There’s an enormous difference,” he says. “It’s subtle in a way, but not when you burn them side by side.” Some foods want smoke, others don’t. Some need long, steady heat, others something quick and intense. Understanding that relationship is what allows the food to stay simple.
Even moments that appear theatrical have a practical purpose. His now-signature champagne-sprayed scallops weren’t designed as a flourish. “It came around more by accident than plan,” Simon admits. The champagne knocks back the heat, draws flavour into the shell and finishes the scallop gently. “Without it they’re just nowhere near as elevated,” he says. “They’re really, really delicious.”
The Art of Hosting
While the food matters, Simon is clear that it’s only part of what he’s creating. “A lot of it is about experience and atmosphere as well,” he says. That’s where hosting comes into its own.
Many of Simon’s events bring together people who don’t know each other. That changes the role of the host entirely. “The bit of hosting is just about putting people at ease,” he explains. “The quicker you can get to making them chill out, the longer they enjoy themselves.”
The approach is instinctive rather than formal. “Can we get them a drink? Can we make them feel like they’re at home? Can we get them some food?” he asks. “It doesn’t matter if the rest of it is not absolutely perfect.”
He describes it as a warm welcome, a familiar feeling. “It’s like a warm hug,” he says. Fires lit, something from the grill, a glass in hand. “If you can break that anxiety early, you set the tone.”
What follows is often the most satisfying part. “Guests come as strangers and they leave as friends,” Simon says. “That’s when you know you’ve got it right.” By the end of the evening, people are reluctant to leave, having shared food, conversation and a sense of occasion that doesn’t feel manufactured.
Sartorial choices, and why they matter.
Working this way means long hours on his feet and clothing that can stand up to the day. Simon’s approach to what he wears reflects the same thinking he brings to his cooking: considered, purposeful and rooted in doing things properly. “Everything that I do and buy has to be built to last,” he says.
That mindset carries across the tools and clothing he relies on day to day. “I love seeing how stuff’s made,” Simon explains. Where something comes from and how it’s put together matter, not as statements, but because they shape how it performs and how it holds up over time.
When it comes to workwear, function comes first. “It’s probably a little bit more about practicality,” Simon says, but never at the expense of looking pulled together. Jeans are a staple for comfort and protection. “Heat retention, heat blockout,” he notes. And on the fire, there’s no debate. “We never wear anything apart from a boot on the grill.”
Boots offer protection, support and stability, especially when working outdoors or off-grid. Comfort matters when days stretch on. “They’ve got to be comfortable for many hours,” he says, “and still look smart.”
The Stow Country Boot
For this Classic Men’s Look, Simon wears the Tricker’s Stow Country Boot. While this was his first time wearing Tricker’s, the thinking behind the boot immediately resonated. Made in Northampton using time-honoured techniques, the Stow is designed to balance durability, comfort and understated style.
Simon describes the Stow as “super comfy” from the outset, particularly for long hours on his feet. What appealed most was how naturally the boot could adapt to different parts of his day. “When you’re making a considered purchase… sure, you’re going to wear them to work,” he explains, “but actually you could just put a pair of jeans on and wear them out as well.”
Rather than feeling precious, the Stow is a boot he expects to live in. Polished up or worn in, it’s designed to take on the marks of use and become more personal over time. “I could see myself cooking for a really high-end event in those, but just as easily wear them down the pub with my mates,” he says.
That versatility — paired with comfort, support and longevity — makes the Stow a natural fit for The Host.
Looking ahead
As ever, Simon’s plans are fluid. New Fire Club events are planned in Cobham, while the rhythm of Cornwall continues through the summer. Opportunities appear quickly and are often embraced instinctively. “You never really know from one week to the next,” he says. “If something excites us, we normally go, ‘Yeah, come on. We’ll grab that.’”
There’s also a new book on the horizon, a fireside cookbook that brings his approach to cooking and hosting together on the page.
Ultimately, Simon’s work is about generosity. Time, attention and care, shared around a fire. Hosting, in its truest sense. Food that connects people, and the right tools to support the work behind the welcome.
Browse ‘The Host’, our Classic Men’s Look featuring Simon and the Stow Country Boot.
To learn more about Simon’s dining experiences, sign up to his mailing list at www.stallards.co.uk
