Restaurateur bemoans lack of domestic cooking skills

Michael Hjort and his wife, Lucy, will celebrate the 21st anniversary tomorrow of the opening of their restaurant, Melton’s, in the city’s Scarcroft Road.

And while Mr Hjort claimed that the public are far more tuned in to food and where it is sourced, many have yet to refine their own culinary skills.

He said: “The change in people’s attitudes to food since 1990 has been staggering – people only ate out a couple of times a year for birthdays and anniversaries back then.

“Now people are more aware of what they want to eat and where the produce has been sourced. But that is not to say that people’s own cooking skills have improved. A lot of people cannot afford to eat out, but they simply cannot cook which is impacting on their children’s diets.”

Mr Hjort has been an advocate of improving children’s culinary skills, and holds cookery masterclasses for schools. He also organises the York Food and Drink Festival every September.

About 80 per cent of the ingredients used at Melton’s and the couple’s other restaurant, Melton’s Too, which opened 10 years ago, is now locally sourced.