Stokehouse Q: Ollie Hansford serves up feast of Christmas flavours

From an inauspicious start at his dad’s sausage factory in England, young gun chef Ollie Hansford now presides over one of Brisbane’s premier dining establishments.

Always cook as if you’re cooking for your mum.

That’s the philosophy that sees young gun chef Oliver “Ollie” Hansford turn out the kind of dishes that delight diners and results in plates being returned practically spotless to the kitchen.

The 31-year-old is executive chef at Stokehouse Q, the iconic venue on the Brisbane River at South Bank, and I have caught him in a quiet moment before another frenetic dinner service – during which he and his team will again plate up mum-worthy morsels.

Ollie Hansford, Stokehouse Q executive chef. Photo: Miranda Porter

Ollie only recently returned to Stokehouse Q, a homecoming of sorts after a four-year stint with Stokehouse in Melbourne city, then St Kilda.

But the Brisbane venue was where it all began when he arrived from England in 2013, and the stars aligned this year to bring him back in time for a Queensland Christmas with new wife Natalia, 30, a bridal consultant.

Ollie says it will be just the newlyweds and some friends at their Morningside home on Christmas Day, but he will be thinking of his mum back in Leicestershire – his childhood home – as he slaves over a traditional English roast with all the trimmings.

In pictures: Stokehouse Q Twilight Dinner

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“It’ll be hot and sticky in the kitchen, it always is in Brisbane at Christmas, but I still cook a roast dinner every year. No one wants it, but it’s tradition,” Ollie laughs.

His passion for food was sparked while working in his father’s sausage and paté business at the age of 14.

“That was a big eye-opener because before going to the factory I really didn’t know what went into a sausage. It was incredible to me that those ingredients turned into something so delicious and that started my interest in food,” Ollie says.

But it had always been the eating, not so much the cooking, that he loved most.

Wandering through London’s famous Borough Market after a morning of peddling sausages and paté, Ollie was inspired.

“From salami to smoked fish, breads, paté and pork pies, I would try these things and they were just so tasty,” he recalls.

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“Then I’d meet the people selling it and I felt their passion and could taste the energy they had for this food. That really appealed to me.”

And so he enrolled at prestigious London catering college, Westminster Kingsway, then went to work at London’s Soho House before moving on Mallory Court in Warwickshire and Morston Hall in Norfolk, led by Michelin-star chefs Simon Haigh and Galton Blackiston respectively.

“In England I was working 90 hours a week and earning £20,000 a year and you always knew that if you were slack, or you didn’t turn up, or you complained, then that was it,” Ollie says.

“There were 100 other people ready to take your place.”

Surviving and thriving in the “dog eat dog” industry emboldened Ollie when he arrived in Brisbane with his then fiancee.

Ollie Hansford has returned to Queensland to head up Stokehouse Q as executive chef.

He was ready for sunshine and his next cooking adventure while dining at Stokehouse Q one day with Natalia.

Impressed, he offered his services on the spot – and was duly hired.

Ollie says he’s never been happier in a kitchen than when he’s at Stokehouse Q where, comfortable in his surroundings, his approach to food has been free to evolve.

“I used to think that turning an ingredient into something unrecognisable was really good,” he admits.

“But now, the coolest thing is going out and sourcing the best possible produce you can and showcasing that ingredient. For me it’s about showing off how it’s supposed to taste, with less trickery.”

Crab and Summer Pea Tortellini, Jicama, Confit Garlic and Zucchini Sauce at Stokehouse Q, South Bank.

This signature style is on show in the special Christmas menu Ollie has prepared for Brisbane News readers.

There’s a nod to England in the roast pork main, but the fresh, zingy inclusion of pineapple plants it firmly in Queensland.

The Swiss roll dessert is an ode to his sweetheart, Natalia, who he married in May at the Little White Wedding Church in Maleny before a lavish reception at Spicers Tamarind Retreat.

Ollie and Natalia Hansford on their wedding day at Spicers Tamarind, Maleny.

“It’s one I cook at home and it’s one of my wife’s favourites,” he says, still clearly smitten after their near-decade together.

“It’s funny though because even if Natalia really loves something I make, I rarely make it the same again. I’m always changing things up and trying new things. It’s the same with this Swiss roll. I always do different flavours at home but for Christmas I’ve done a pistachio with white chocolate and quandongs that came fresh from a great local supplier,” says Ollie,

who I get the impression would happily chat about food all afternoon, but the kitchen calls.

Before he shoots off to do what he loves most, I quickly ask what’s in store for next year. “I’m excited to put my stamp on Stokehouse Q,” he beams.

“Brisbane is a beautiful place and it’s where we’re going to stay. We’re set.”