With the Basque Country boasting one of the densest concentrations of Michelin stars in the world, its young chefs have a tough task making their mark. Yet after training in the region’s most revered kitchens, Biscay native Mr Eneko Atxa has since blazed a trail, launching Azurmendi in the hills near Bilbao in 2005. Consistently listed among the world’s top restaurants, its creative take on Basque cooking saw Mr Atxa become the youngest Spaniard to land three Michelin stars in 2012.

More decorated restaurants in Bilbao, Tokyo and London followed, with the latter’s Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar at One Aldwych hotel relaunching last month. Mr Atxa says his aim was to create a relaxed take on Basque food with a new menu centred around pintxos and charcoal-grilled sharing plates, with txakoli wine coming from his uncle Mr Gorka Izagirre’s vineyard. “It shouldn’t be too serious – I hope people find these dishes simple to eat and unpretentious,” he says. “I am creating something I’d enjoy not just as a chef but as a guest.” As his latest venture gathers momentum, we asked Mr Atxa about his homeland and how it informs his vibrant dishes.

My cooking style is absolutely Basque.

I like lots of styles from around the world but I only know how to cook the Basque way – it’s in my DNA. What I do is inspired by my childhood – very simple food defined by the Basque landscape as we live close to the sea and the mountains. We have four very different seasons and we work closely with people who know and perfectly understand what and when you fish or harvest. This means we always have the best seasonal produce – teardrop peas, spring mushrooms and anchovies at the moment – in our kitchens.

The charcoal grill is an important part of our culture.

Cooking over fire is a tradition that has been with us for ever. It’s an art form and not something you can learn at school. You have to understand the temperature of the fire perfectly and you have to work with the food all the time, moving it around to cook it properly. It’s an artisanal skill. Plus, it smells fantastic.

The guests decide our signature dishes.

It’s not me who decides – they’re the ones who’ll tell me not to remove the dishes they love. Normally my favourite dish is the most recent one I’ve worked on. Right now, that’s a very traditional recipe from Bilbao for changulo [spider crab]. I am excited to add this to the menu as I don’t think British people have the opportunity to try something like this. We make a rich sauce with freshly cooked crab, onion and tomato that we put back in the shell, flambé with armagnac and finish in a charcoal oven.

The table is like a religion for us.

In the Basque Country, the kitchen has always been the most important space in the house – a meeting point where you connect with your family and share life together. When I was 15, all my classmates had decided what they wanted to study but I had no idea – I feel it is very early to decide your future at this age. Fortunately, I loved to eat and I felt very comfortable around the table, learning from my parents. Because of this I decided to go to cookery school, which is when I discovered a new incredible world.

We have a great responsibility as chefs.

People forget that food can function as a form of medicine. If you eat well, you stay healthy and the economy will be stronger. Teaching people at home or in school to buy and cook good food creates tools for a better future, and restaurants should try to lead by example. We cook healthy food and explain why we buy produce from local farmers as well as our dishes’ cultural significance.

Our food culture should be both preserved and developed.

To create something contemporary you have to start from the beginning and never forget where you’re coming from. For example, one of my favourite childhood dishes is talo [cornflour tortilla wraps], which we’ve made lighter and healthier. We might use new technology or techniques to create something new but we’ll always respect the soul and the sense of our grandmothers’ recipes.