Antimony

Satwant Singh Bains, better known as ‘Sat’, is a British chef, known for being chef proprietor of the two-Michelin star Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms in Nottingham.

He was born, and grew up in Derby, but moved to Nottingham early in his career. It was while in Nottingham in 1999, that he applied for the Roux Scholarship. In 2002, he became Head Chef at Hotel des Clos in Nottingham, which was relaunched as Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms in 2002.

Sat has worked with the University of Nottingham on several projects, including the HealthyU campaign and Nottingham in Parliament Day. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws Honorary Degree by the University in 2017, and a Master of Arts in 2012.

Antimony is a highly brittle, bluish-white, semi-metallic element. Items made of it have been found dating back to 3,000 BC in Iraq.

Its name is attributed to the French word for ‘monk killer’ since toxic antimony is linked to alchemy, which was often studied by monks.

Antimony was used in ancient Egypt as a form of kohl eyeliner. In Medieval times, it was taken medicinally as a laxative pill which could be reclaimed and re-used!