proud to be chosen by the Waterside Inn
‘This issue is a tribute to family in all of its brilliant incarnations – including our extended Waterside Inn family. It is made up of our teams, friends and suppliers of many years’ standing’
AS YOU WILL GATHER FROM THE STUNNING COVER, THIS ISSUE OF The Waterside Inn Magazine is all about family. My darling late wife Robyn always told me: “Family comes first. It is not just important – it is everything.”
Robyn didn’t just say those words; she lived them. They encapsulate everything we stand for at The Waterside Inn. This issue is a tribute to family in all of its brilliant incarnations – including our extended Waterside family. It is made up of our teams, friends and suppliers of many years’ standing. Several of their stories are shared in these pages.
My son Alain and I believe in a special kind of leadership, one where the team does not work for us but alongside us, towards a common goal. For all our staff, from commis to head chef, housekeeper to gardener, our door is always open.
Many of our suppliers are family businesses with histories stretching back a generation or more. They include our decorators, Tom Martell Snr and Jnr (page 50), the Bordeaux châteaux families we visit each year (page 59), and companies such as King’s Fine Foods and I Grunwerg Ltd, who supply us with Global knives. On page 46 we spotlight another such family business, the award-winning butchers Aubrey Allen, who have become standard-bearers for their profession, and have been both suppliers and friends for years.
If family is about the power of the bond between its members, then the Roux scholars are truly part of our family, too. By the time you read this, we will have chosen our 36th scholar. To join the special Scholarship club and to be part of its legacy is perhaps the greatest prize on offer to the winner. Our 2018 scholar, Martin Carabott, explains the life-changing opportunity the Scholarship brings on page 12.
I cannot wait to introduce the latest additions to our restaurant family: our Thameside brasserie, Roux at Skindles, and the Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux at The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. This last venture we created with our friends and peers the Forte family, and Alain and I recently caught up with Lydia Forte and her father Rocco to discuss business, family and food, which you can read about from page 66.
Michelin stars may come and go but in the end, our greatest achievement is surely our family, teams and scholars. I am so proud of them all and hope you will continue to follow their stories for many years to come.
Michel Roux OBE Global ambassadorJessica is the editor of this magazine and also edits the multi-award-winning Waitrose & Partners Food.
Former editor of Punch, award-winning food writer and biographer James wrote several of the features in this issue.
Lee has been the personal assistant to the Roux family at The Waterside for seven years. She consulted across this title.
Most of the pictures in this magazine were taken by Jamie, who trained as an artist before becoming a talented photographer.
OPENING IN 1972, THE WATERSIDE Inn achieved its initial Michelin star in 1974, when the first Michelin Guide to Britain was published since the pre-war suspension of the publication. A second star came in 1977 and a third in 1985. Today, it is the only restaurant in the world, outside France, to have retained three coveted stars for 35 years. Famed for its exquisite French cuisine, The Waterside also has 12 spacious bedrooms, a private dining room and holds a licence for weddings and civil partnerships.
JESSICA GUNN JAMES STEEN LEE WHITLOCK JAMIE LAU
‘We use L’Unico Musetti espresso coffee at The Waterside Inn because it provides our guests with the blend they’d expect from us. The aroma, the quality, the consistency – it’s superb coffee’
ALAIN ROUX
07
Recent happenings, events and behind-the-scenes insights, including an interview with Martin Carabott, winner of the 2018 Roux Scholarship
18
Take a seat in this buzzy new brasserie, just five to ten minutes’ drive from The Waterside Inn
22
A tribute to Michel’s beloved late wife Robyn, remembered here for her kindness and creative flair
24
A behind-the-scenes look at what happens between 4.30am and midday at The Waterside, from baking bread to delivering guests’ breakfasts
30
Head chef Fabrice Uhryn and Michel and Alain Roux fondly recall cherished childhood dishes
37
After learning his craft from Diego Masciaga, Frédéric Poulette is The Waterside’s new general manager
40
Four couples who met while working at The Waterside tell us what happened next
46
A CUT ABOVE Aubrey Allen supplies beef to The Waterside… and HM The Queen
50
Meet father and son Tom and Tom Martell, The Waterside’s decorators for the past three decades
53
Three generations meet for a leisurely lunch in Michel’s garden
59
Head sommelier Michael Trenga picks his top Bordeaux wines while Michel reveals the families behind them
Editor Jessica Gunn
Art director James Tangwood
Managing editor Karen Yates
Sub-editor Sarah Cobbold
Business director Jeffrey Bird
Account manager Gayle Curtis
Group production Joanna Mead
Chief executive Andrew Hirsch
Cover photograph Jamie Lau
On behalf of The Waterside Inn
Michel Roux OBE, Alain Roux, Frédéric Poulette and Lee Whitlock.
To make a reservation, please telephone 01628 620691 or email reservations@waterside-inn.co.uk.
The Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AT. View the magazine online at waterside-inn.co.uk/magazine
66
Michel and Alain Roux join Sir Rocco and Lydia Forte to discuss why they are stronger together
73
Fabrice Uhryn on the joys of pickling and preserving. Plus, his recipe for an easy gooseberry chutney
76
For a real taste of luxury, stay for 48 hours – there’s plenty to see, including welcoming local pubs and nearby Windsor Castle
80
It all started in a humble charcuterie in Saône-et-Loire, France, but now the influence of the Roux family can be felt across the globe
82
Canton founder Jennifer Wood shares her story, from start-up delivering loose teas by bicycle to Waterside tea supplier
When you have finished reading your magazine please share it with others
The Waterside Inn Magazine 2019 is published on behalf of The Waterside Inn by John Brown. Please address correspondence to John Brown, 8 Baldwin St, London EC1V 9NU. Tel 020 7565 3000 johnbrownmedia.com
Whet your appetite with a round-up of recent happenings, notable events and behind-the-scenes knowledge
Once again, a familiar, ever-smiling face lights up the private dining room at The Waterside Inn, thanks to a bronze sculpture of Robyn Roux, Michel’s late wife.
The piece was created by the Shropshire-based sculptor Jemma Pearson, who was commissioned by Michel shortly after Robyn’s death in November 2017.
The sculpture took 10 months to complete. Although Jemma had never met Robyn, she worked from around 150 photographs. “I wanted something that was very joyous and a celebration of her life,” says Jemma. “Robyn was vivacious and vibrant, so the sculpture needed to look quite fabulous but also elegant.”
When it came to Robyn’s face, Jemma went against her self-set rules.
“I very rarely approve of sculptures where the subject is smiling, because it means catching a single moment, as opposed to something a bit more timeless,” she explains. “But it was impossible to create a sculpture of Robyn and not include her smile.”
Jemma found the project “fascinating”, and says her studio became “a bit like a shrine. I had so many big images of Robyn up on the walls – she filled the whole room with joy.”
To read Robyn’s obituary, turn to page 22
“As commutes go, it’s hard to beat,” says Alain Roux, referring to his river journey from The Waterside Inn in Bray to Roux at Skindles in Taplow. Both restaurants are located on the River Thames, about a mile and a half apart, so Alain bought a small catamaran to help him get from one to the other.
“I love it,” he says of the boat, Happy Ours III. “It’s always a relaxing escape to be on the boat and cruise along the river before getting into the busy, warm kitchen. It’s far better
being out on the water than it is being on the roads.”
The catamaran was built by family business RS Sailing, based in the nearby village of Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire. Founder and managing director Simon Johnson, a former professional rowing coach, says, “Over the years we’ve sold about 900 of these catamarans all over the world. They’re incredibly durable boats, light and good in all waters. We hope Alain and his family will derive a huge amount of happiness from it.”
... that The Waterside Inn closes every year between 26 December and 31 January? This is when a host of craftspeople arrive to refresh the dining room and bedrooms. We meet expert furniture restorer Nicola Shreeve
Nicola (pictured below) first visited The Waterside as a 21-year-old apprentice in 1987 and has worked there regularly ever since. Her tasks include cleaning, polishing, repairing and restoring the antique furniture. She resurfaces the bar every three years, and is on hand to fix anything from broken castors to loose joints.
One of her favourite projects was re-gilding the mirror in the sitting-room area of the main restaurant. “I think Robyn Roux had bought it years ago,” she says. “It had a few pieces missing and was covered in gold paint. I hand-stripped the surface, replaced the missing decoration and then re-gilded. It took me a week but it was extremely rewarding.”
Scotland’s most renowned chef and restaurateur Andrew Fairlie (pictured front row centre, with fellow Roux scholars and judges), died in January after a long illness.
In 1984, Andrew became the first Roux scholar at just 20. He went on to achieve worldwide acclaim – plus two Michelin stars – for his eponymous restaurant at Gleneagles. Throughout his career he remained an ambassador for the Scholarship and the hospitality industry as a whole.
“To me, Andrew was like a son, and to our scholars and judges, a brother,” said Michel Roux OBE. He described Andrew as “fearless and brilliant” and paid the following tribute: “In a world that can’t stop talking, Andrew was reserved
but not shy; his strong, quiet leadership was one of his most impressive qualities. Not many leaders are remarkable for their quiet natures. Most talk more than they deliver. Andrew was different. He was a leader by example. He was creative, with a rare talent for discovering and developing new ideas.
“He had so many qualities: immense warmth, a terrific sense of humour, discretion and utter dedication to his profession. But it was his commitment and gift as a teacher that stood out most; his drive to support upcoming chefs. He has been an incredible ambassador for the Roux Scholarship and an inspiration for the scholars. Andrew’s spirit and legacy will live on forever.”
In union of two of the most distinguished families of the hospitality industry, Alain and Michel Roux have collaborated with Lydia Forte and her father Sir Rocco to open a restaurant at The Balmoral. The Fortes’ landmark five-star hotel in Edinburgh is now home to Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux. The restaurant is the brainchild of Lydia, who is group director of food and beverage at Rocco Forte Hotels.
To find out what happened when the Rouxs and the Fortes met over lunch to discuss their alliance, turn to page 66
Clockwise from top left: Simon Hulstone, André Garrett, Sat Bains, Alain Roux, Andrew Fairlie and Michel Roux Jr
PHOTOGRAPH: JODI HINDS FOR ROUX SCHOLARSHIP
Brilliant young chef Martin Carabott talks about his career to date, including the cooking competitions and culinary mentors that helped him win the prestigious Roux Scholarship in 2018
12 -- THE WATERSIDE INN MAGAZINE ROUX SCHOLARSHIP
LOOKING BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD IN MALTA, I SUPPOSE I was the odd one out. My mother and father worked in medicine. My brother established a career in computers. But I always leaned away from science and towards doing something creative.
I enjoyed painting and music and was drawn into cooking, partly by cookery shows on television. I started to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and then, about the time I was finishing secondary school, I announced to my parents and teachers, “I want to become a chef.” I enrolled on a four-year cookery course.
For the third year of the course, students were required to go abroad and complete a 12-month indenture in a restaurant. Until then I had left Malta only once, for a holiday in Tunisia. Where would I go for the indenture? I happen to play the bagpipes (a skill I learnt in Scouts) and perhaps this made me more than a little intrigued by Scotland and its culture. So I went to Gleneagles, the home of Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Scotland’s only two-star Michelin restaurant. Initially, I did not work with Andrew, but at another restaurant within the hotel. However, at times I would peek into his kitchen: it was well-organised, efficient and the chefs were happy. I finished my indenture and returned to Malta but shortly afterwards I was back at Gleneagles. This time I completed stages (internships) at Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant. Andrew was the first Roux scholar, and I really looked up to him and his brigade. Sous chef Philip Hogan also inspired and pushed me.
When you start in a kitchen like that, it’s very daunting. But I’ve always loved the cooking process, the preparation – and the giving to others. So I said to myself, “I can do this – I can be a part of this.” Then I really started to enjoy the camaraderie, the teamwork.
From Scotland, I moved to London and took a job at Apsleys, Heinz Beck’s restaurant at The Lanesborough. After that, I worked
in the kitchens of the RAC Club on Pall Mall. The job was arranged through an agency which had described it as a private members’ club. This was a new one on me. “Is that a strip club?” I asked. Actually, it turned out to be a great experience, and the executive chef Philip Corrick encouraged me to enter competitions as often as possible.
I then joined the Clove Club team for the opening of sister restaurant Luca before joining Ollie Dabbous for the launch of Hide, which earned a Michelin star five months after opening last year.
Competing has made me a better chef. If I don’t do well, it makes me determined to work harder. When I win, it’s a massive boost. The Roux Scholarship was the Grand Prix. I had always thought that I was not good enough to compete but the Scholarship sparked something in me. When I made it to the finals in 2016 and again in 2017, I said to myself, “I will come back next year. And if I don’t win then I’ll come back the year after that.” I could not give up – no way! But there is an age limit of 30. Thankfully I won last year, at the age of 29.
For my prize, I could choose an all-expenses-paid, three-month stage at a restaurant anywhere in the world. I went for Eleven Madison Park in New York (above right). With three Michelin stars, it’s recognised as one of the very best there is. The food is technically perfect, but looks so simple and sharp. I will never forget the first day there. Again, it was the organisation that struck me. There’s a little bit of chaos in most kitchens, but there I felt like I was part of a machine. We all knew exactly what we were doing every moment. The kitchen included chefs from Britain, Australia, Sweden, Turkey, China and Switzerland.
As for the future, I don’t dream of owning a huge restaurant. Give me something small – like a chef’s table – and I’ll be happy. I must admit, I do miss Scotland, but my wife thinks it’s too cold… even though she is from the Czech Republic!
The Roux Scholarship was established by Michel and Albert Roux in 1984 to aid and promote up-and-coming young chefs. The winner receives a three-month stage, cooking and training at a three-star Michelin restaurant of their choice, anywhere in the world. There is also a cash prize of £6,000 and prizes from the competition’s sponsors.
In the 2018 competition, Martin Carabott –senior sous chef at Hide in London’s Mayfair – beat five other finalists in a challenge to prepare and serve Pigeonneaux Valenciennes-style, with a vin jaune sauce.
Three-Michelin starred chef Michel Guérard, honorary president (opposite, presenting cheque), led the panel with joint chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr. They were joined by previous winners Andrew Fairlie, Sat Bains and Simon Hulstone. Other judges were Brian Turner, Angela Hartnett, Clare Smyth and Rachel Humphrey.
At the prize-giving, Alain Roux said, “This recipe was a real challenge, but Martin was outstanding.”
Be ready to get inspired by Valrhona Belize Pure Origin chocolate remarkable aromatic profile that mingle together a strong gourmet personality and gentle spicy notes.
Tulakalum means “together” in Mayan dialect. It is only thanks to collaborative efforts between Valrhona and our partner Maya Mountain plantation that we were able to relaunch this exceptionally rare Belizean cocoa variety.
The annual ceremony of swan-upping has been practised for centuries and involves weighing and assessing mute swan cygnets to protect and preserve the species
There is calm on the Thames, and the water glistens in the bright sunlight. From a table outside The Waterside Inn, this could be the view on any morning in July, a pair of single scullers whizzing past every now and again.
But then… the silence is suddenly broken by cheers from downriver and cries of, “All up!” Soon, a flotilla of rowing skiffs appears, carrying strange men in scarlet jackets and white trousers looking for young swans.
These are the royal swan-uppers and this is the spectacle that is swan-upping. “All up!” is the order to raise the oars when swans are spotted. Michel Roux, who is there with his son Alain, says, “It’s a grand tradition that goes back centuries. Let’s hope it continues for many more to come.”
The ceremony takes place every year and, importantly, the purpose is to conserve the mute swan. HM The Queen’s swan warden collects data, assessing the health of young cygnets and examining
them for any injuries. The flotilla is led by royal swan marker, David Barber (above, with Michel), and the journey begins at Sunbury Lock and finishes five days later at Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire.
The uppers are joined – or rather followed – by boats of school children who have been invited along to watch as cygnets are measured, weighed and inspected. Michel and Alain Roux always try to be there to meet the swan-uppers and offer a little hospitality.
Mr Barber reported 132 new cygnets on the River Thames in 2017 and 106 in 2018.
Since the 12th century, the Crown has held the right to claim ownership of all unmarked mute swans swimming in the kingdom’s open waters. The monarch subsequently granted ownership to the favoured few, enabling them to serve the prized birds at banquets. Today, of course, swans are no longer eaten and are a protected species.
The Waterside Inn relies on a network of local businesses to provide the kitchen with the very best produce. Many suppliers have been working with The Waterside for decades, but here we meet newcomer Maxwell & Webb Potager
Cookham-based Maxwell & Webb Potager grows fruit and vegetables from seed and supplies The Waterside Inn with unusual varieties such as pentland brig kale, many types of chillies and a mouth-watering range of strawberries.
Founders Chris Webb and Clair Maxwell (above) met after Chris created chef Tom Kerridge’s kitchen garden and posted photos of it on Twitter. Clair, who was doing her RHS Level 2 in horticulture at the time, got in touch, and was soon offered a job. When the opportunity arose to rent some land in 2017, the pair set up their own business.
Australian chef and author David Thompson became the first-ever visiting chef to cook for guests at The Waterside Inn when he collaborated with Alain Roux and the 24-strong brigade to create a unique Thai dinner.
a completely different genre, to take over our kitchens,” said Michel. “But David is one of the most talented, innovative chefs of his generation and cooks the most exciting Thai food I have tasted.”
Pictured here, in the garden at home on a summer’s day, are Michel Roux and his cherished chocolate cocker spaniel, Henry. As well as taking daily walks together, Henry is often to be found at Michel’s side as he goes about his day-to-day business at The Waterside. They also attend several game shoots a year, travelling to the West Country, Yorkshire, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Michel describes Henry as the ideal companion. “Our dogs are pets, yes, but they are also family,” says Michel. “The Roux family is about care, and about love – and Henry has that in spades.”
At the event in the spring of 2018, David – an authority on Thai cuisine – oversaw a tasting menu of dishes that included: crunchy rice with crab; steamed curry of scallops (below); stir-fried wild garlic leaves; spring vegetable salad with tamarind and sesame seeds (below right); braised duck with madan leaves and young ginger; and ma hor (minced pork, prawns and chicken simmered in palm sugar with deep-fried shallots, garlic and peanuts). For dessert, taro pudding with glacéd sapodillas (small, sweet, egg-shaped fruit).
Guests included the Thai Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Mr Pisanu Suvanajata, and chef and vice chairman of the Roux Scholarship Brian Turner CBE. Michel Roux described the evening as “a Thai triumph”.
“In our 45-year history, we have never before invited a chef, let alone a chef specialising in
David, whose restaurant Long Chim is in Seoul, Singapore and Australia, was joined by his sous chef, Prin Polsuk (below).
Just 15 minutes by boat from The Waterside, this buzzy brasserie offers the superb food and service you’d expect from the Roux family – in a relaxed and informal setting
IT WAS MICHEL AND HIS BROTHER WHO FIRST introduced the concept of the French brasserie to a curious London back in 1970 with the opening of Brasserie Benoît. Almost five decades later, now with his son Alain, Michel has done it again – opening Roux at Skindles, a modern riverside brasserie that is already making waves.
The restaurant, which opened shortly before Christmas 2018, overlooks the Thames at Taplow, the village just across the river from Maidenhead. Conveniently, it is also just a 15-minute boat ride upriver from The Waterside Inn.
The site was acquired by Berkeley Homes in 2014 and has been transformed into Taplow Riverside, a community with luxury homes, riverside walks, moorings and a new-built footbridge to Maidenhead – plus the brasserie.
In keeping with brasserie tradition, at Roux at Skindles guests can eat anything at any time of the day. Glamorous yet with an inviting, relaxed vibe, Skindles also has a cocktail bar with riverside balcony. Children are welcome and the affordable menu includes classics such as fish soup with rouille and croutons, Burgundy snails with parsley and garlic butter, moules marinières and braised lamb shoulder served with polenta. Don’t miss Grandpa Roux’s country pâté, named in honour of Michel’s grandfather Benoît, who gave his name to the Rouxs’ earlier brasserie adventure.
Michel says: “Some think we are only good at Michelin-star cuisine, but that’s not the case. For us, a stew is certainly as important as Chateaubriand or a lobster dish. That was the whole point of Brasserie Benoît – we wanted to show the City of London that we were not only gastro chefs but were also able to cook for the people. It’s the same here; at Skindles, we serve simple, hearty, good-value food.”
Alain is chef-patron of Roux at Skindles, while the restaurant’s general manager is Maxime Walkowiak (who also features on page 41). Head chef is Rajkumar (Raj) Holuss. For eight years Raj (above left) was first sous chef at The Waterside Inn, and is married to Madhvi, who is senior head housekeeper there.
Raj was born in Mauritius and his interest in cooking was sparked as a child. “I grew up on a farm,” he says. “Every morning my mother would go into the field and return with warm milk. We never once needed to shop in the market. I had four sisters and watching them cook every day was a massive influence. We didn’t have an oven. My first taste of pizza was when my oldest sister built a wood-fired oven.”
Despite an illustrious CV – Raj has worked for Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud in New York and John Williams at The Ritz in London – this grounding in simple, fresh, homemade food is also evident in his cooking here. “Many of the dishes are French classics,” he says, “but we are keeping everything as light as possible, beautiful and very fresh.”
‘Some think we are only good at Michelin-starred cuisine... at Skindles, we serve hearty, good-value food’
The site of Roux at Skindles has an intriguing history. Originally built as a coaching inn in the 1700s, William Skindle transformed it into a fashionable hotel in 1833. It thrived in the Victorian and Edwardian times, and Edward VII was a guest. In the 1950s Groucho Marx and Bette Davis visited, and
a decade later the hotel was used for trysts by the secretary of state for war, John Profumo, and his lover, Christine Keeler. Impresario Louis Brown acquired it in the 1970s and opened a nightclub, Studio Valbonne; visitors included Princess Margaret, President Nixon, John Lennon and Mick Jagger.
Head chef Raj Holuss (opposite page) creates simple, classic dishes like this cheeseburger with tomato relish and fries (right)
Robyn Roux, late wife of Michel, was loved for her kindness and humour, and admired for her style and creative flair. Deeply missed, she has left a lasting legacy at The Waterside Inn
ROBYN ROUX WAS THE ANGEL OF THE Waterside Inn. Anyone who has visited the restaurant will have sensed her inimitable presence. Without Robyn, who sadly passed away in 2017, The Waterside would not be the place it is today.
To long-serving staff, she was a friend and listener, confidante and counsellor. To the younger members of the team, she was a cherished mother figure, kind and caring; she was adored by all.
Like many of the new recruits at the restaurant, Robyn knew how it felt to be a long way from home – she left her native Australia in 1983, when she came to live in Britain with Michel. Perhaps as a result, she was deeply sensitive to potential loneliness in others. Warm and reassuring, she was always ‘Robyn’, never ‘Mrs Roux’. It was her smile that will be remembered, as well as the way she was often accompanied by her beloved pets: cocker spaniels Baron and Henry, or Minou her cat.
Michel believes that only with her support was it possible for him to earn the third Michelin star at The Waterside Inn in 1985. “Robyn brought that little spark to everything she touched,” he says, adding, “She made me a better person.”
They met in Sydney on a blind date, introduced by one of Michel’s apprentices. Michel remembers his first impression of her as “a lady with brains, who loved her food and wine, and really knew her city and her country.”
Robyn had studied stage management at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Arts, and came to see the restaurant as a version of the theatre. In a rare interview in 2003, she told Nicholas Lander, “The menu is the script, the chefs are the back of house and the waiting staff the actors. And the emotional build-up is similar. No matter how awful you feel, no matter what psychodramas are being played out, the curtain goes up twice a day, the customers walk in and you have to be out there, smiling.”
Robyn shunned stuffiness and had no time for faff or fuss. To most aspects of her life, business or pleasure, she applied the question, “Where’s the fun in that?” If there was no fun to be had, there was every chance that whatever it was would be pushed to one side.
“She loved to throw parties,” remembers Maggie Fairbrother, reservations manager at The Waterside. When Jean-François Imbert, maître d’ for more
than a decade, left the Inn, Robyn organised a dinner party for him in the private dining room – which, along with the other rooms at The Waterside, she designed. Maggie recalls, “We all wore masks – Robyn liked masks – and, being Australian, she was Kylie Minogue. She gave a list of sayings to Jean-François to steer him in the future.”
That list included lines such as, “Accept the fact that some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue,” and, “Always keep your words soft and sweet just in case you have to eat them.” Maggie says, “Every one of those sayings reflected her own view on life.”
Waterside Inn director Claude Grant remembers her very first meeting with Robyn in 1985. “I thought she was so flamboyant and glamorous. With her Australian accent, she seemed exotic, and she had presence – but she wasn’t imposing. She had a lovely smile and was caring and easily approachable. If she sensed someone wasn’t happy, she’d say kindly: ‘Come and talk to me and I’ll see if I can help.’”
Claude recalls a particularly busy day when she was tied up with work and anxious about having to take her son William to an orthodontist appointment that afternoon. “Robyn could see I was stressed and asked, ‘What can I do to help you?’ I said, ‘Well, you could take William…’ So she left immediately, collected him from school and drove him to the appointment. William is now 30 years old and we still laugh about it – I forgot to give Robyn the address and they were driving around in circles but managed to get there in the end.”
Jean-François and general manager Frédéric Poulette both describe Robyn as being “like a mother”. They talk fondly of very long lunches. “Robyn looked after me,” says Frédéric. “If I had an idea, I’d run it by her. The next day she’d make it happen. She could do that – she was someone who could very quickly turn ideas into reality.”
But perhaps Robyn’s greatest legacy is the incredible warmth she seemed to bring with her into every aspect of her work and life. Maggie sums it up, “People might imagine The Waterside as some hallowed shrine to gastronomy. But when you arrive you realise it’s extremely relaxed. That is the spirit of Robyn, and it’s instilled in the people here.”
‘To long-serving staff, Robyn was a friend and listener, confidante and counsellor. To the younger members of the team, she was a cherished mother figure, kind and caring; she was adored by all’
Long before sunrise, The Waterside Inn is already a hive of activity. There’s bread to be baked, deliveries to be received, breakfast to be cooked – all before the doors open for lunch at noon. We take a peek behind the scenes…
Dawn is about to break, and Gaurav Thakur, the gifted head baker (formerly of The Ritz), has already been at work for a couple of hours. He’s the man behind The Waterside’s renowned croissants, white and brown bread rolls and brioches – 200 of each a day – plus plenty of pains au chocolat.
Suppliers arrive with fresh shellfish, vegetables and fruit. Milk, cream and butter are also delivered to the kitchen door.
Paul Jackson from Aubrey Allen arrives with the day’s meat, hot on the heels from delivering to Her Majesty’s kitchens at Windsor Castle.
Gaurav is still hard at work baking croissants and pains au chocolat. Soon he’ll be rolling out the dough for the bread rolls. Extras are made for head chef Fabrice, who’ll taste to check everything is perfect.
Commis de salle Florin (right) serves breakfast to guests in their rooms. Meanwhile, more staff are arriving for work. The night porter comes to the end of his shift at 9am.
While gardener Krys (left) tends to the flowers outside, housekeeper Gloria makes sure the guest rooms are pristine. Meanwhile, the dining room comes together for another day’s service – sommelier Lupo (right) helps to set the tables.
After the staff lunch and before guests arrive, head chef Fabrice talks through the menu. Assistant manager Marco (below) checks reservations and Claudio, Adem and Roberta from front of house (below right) prepare for action.
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There’s nothing quite like home cooking: head chef Fabrice Uhryn remembers his mother’s fritters, sprinkled liberally with icing sugar, Michel Roux rejoices in Maman’s heavenly-scented duck à l’orange, and Alain Roux recalls the braised rabbit with prunes cooked by his grandmothers
“I grew up in the Belgian countryside, near the cities of Liège and Verviers, and most of the time we ate good, healthy food. My father raised chickens, rabbits and guinea fowl, so there was always excellent produce at home. We also had a vegetable garden, which is probably why I like gardening now.
“As a child, I developed a soft spot for croustillons, which are fritters sprinkled with icing sugar (and it must be a generous sprinkling). Not the healthiest food, but irresistible.
“It is a simple recipe: you start with a batter comprising milk, eggs, flour, sugar and yeast, which is left to prove for about an hour. Spoonfuls of this are then deep-fried in hot oil to create beautifully crispy fritters. They are finished with icing sugar – generously, remember.
“Croustillons are best eaten hot, within a few moments of being cooked. I can vividly remember my mother making them, and my siblings and I waiting patiently – or perhaps impatiently – to get one or two, then probably a few more.
“In Belgium we usually make croustillons on Shrove Tuesday, as our British friends are tucking into pancakes. They’re also very popular at fairs, where I remember they were served in a paper cone – somehow it just made them even more delicious.”
“I love this dish. My mother, Germaine, liked to cook it for us at home. It was a plat de fête, for family gatherings or celebrations – perhaps a couple of times a year, or even every other year.
“I remember the lovely, delicate sauce cooking: the entire kitchen smelled of it, and the orange aroma filtered through to the dining room. The sauce by itself is quite sweet and smells and tastes almost North African.
“I like to cook the duck and the sauce separately. I roast the duck about 1 hour 20 minutes ahead of serving, letting it rest for at least 45 minutes. Then I carve it at the table before reassembling and arranging the orange slices around it. I love this theatrical way of showing it off. It looks tempting and has a wonderful, mouth-watering aroma.
“The ideal accompaniments are rice, some type of seasonal green vegetable such as spinach, mangetout or French beans, and a few potatoes – particularly pommes gaufrettes (fried, latticecut potatoes). The contrast of textures with the crispy gaufrettes gives a really light and appetising look to the finished dish.
“As for wine, I would serve this with a lovely pinot noir from Burgundy: medium-bodied, not too heavy, a few years old.”
‘Sometimes I sit and go through my mother’s old recipe books, or my chef’s apprentice book. It’s a happy stroll down a memory lane in France. My mum’s cassoulet or coq au vin… Then there’s her blanquette de veau… As youngsters, Albert and I relished it. Years later, so did our guests. Food trends, you know, are just that; they come and go. But what is good will last forever’
“This a classic French family dish – hearty and wholesome. Both my grandmothers cooked it, so I can’t think of the dish without thinking of them.
“It’s easy enough to make – and it was even easier for my maternal grandmother: she kept rabbits so didn’t need to go far for the main ingredient. She lived in the countryside north-east of Paris and had a huge garden. I would spend school holidays with her; it was there that I discovered my love of gardening.
“The rabbit is chopped into pieces and marinated overnight in red wine. The next day, the meat is drained, seared in a pan and, once browned, covered in the wine again. Chicken stock is added, then some vegetables – whatever is in season – along with herbs, salt and pepper. The whole thing is cooked slowly in a low oven. About halfway through, the prunes are added – my grandmothers used to marinate them first in armagnac, calvados or cognac, whatever they happened to have open.
“After several hours, the meat should be succulent and falling off the bone, and the prunes slightly caramelised. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes, or pasta such as tagliatelle, plus crusty bread to mop up all the juices. Delicious!”
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Meet The Waterside Inn’s new general manager, Frédéric Poulette. He learned his craft from the legendary Diego Masciaga and now takes centre stage himself
FREDERIC POULETTE SHUDDERS AS HE RECALLS a moment back in the summer of 2018, about a week after he had been appointed general manager of The Waterside Inn. “Everything had gone so well up until that point,” he says.
A regular guest at the restaurant had telephoned in the morning. He wanted to bring friends and family for a superb lunch. Was there, by any chance, a table for six?
Frédéric recalls, “We were fully booked, and I said, ‘I’m very sorry but we cannot fit you in.’” But then he had an idea. “In the garden, beside the river, there was an empty marquee. It had been set up for a party but was not in use that lunchtime. So I said to Marco, my assistant, ‘Let’s organise the marquee for them. They’ll be very happy.’
“We put a table in a little lounge area of the marquee. The table looked magnificent and was beneath a beautiful Baccarat crystal chandelier. When the gentleman arrived for lunch he could not have said ‘thank you’ any more times.”
Starters were served and cleared, and all was well. “Then, I was in the restaurant, busy with lunch guests, when a waiter suddenly came rushing to see me. He said, ‘Frédéric – the chandelier, the chandelier... It fell!’ I froze with horror. ‘It cannot be. It cannot be.’
“I ran to the other side of the restaurant and looked out of the window into the marquee. The chandelier had crashed onto the table. But by some miracle there was no one seated at the table at the time. Just beforehand, the guests had got up and gone to the river with some bread for the ducks and cygnets. As they fed the birds, the chandelier fell.”
He pauses and lifts the teapot from the table. “So there you have it,” he says, as he pours. “That was the beginning of my life as general manager.”
Regardless of the lighting fixtures, you’re always in safe hands with Frédéric. He grew up in Roanne, near Lyon, in France. After catering college, his career began in a small restaurant before he made the decision to come to Britain and The Waterside Inn. He was just 18, and joined as a commis waiter. “It was 3 September 1996,” he says (to set the scene, the week after Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, were divorced). “I was young and thought I knew everything. Actually, I knew nothing. I had not experienced this level of service, these standards. The way I see it, my training began here.”
He remembers words of wisdom from Diego Masciaga, for many
years Frédéric’s mentor and the man from whom he would inherit the role of general manager. “He took me aside and said, ‘Look the customer in the eye and smile. That way, you create a sparkle, the start of a relationship.’ He said this to every new member of the team.”
Frédéric stayed initially for three years, then returned to France, where he worked at a two-starred Michelin restaurant in Lyon. He soon returned to work at The White Hart Inn in Suffolk (then owned by Michel), where he met his wife Rachel. They fell in love, married and now have two daughters, Amelia, who is nine, and Mirabelle, five.
For a while, Frédéric and Rachel lived in Australia (Michel arranged for Frédéric to work at the International Management School in the Blue Mountains) but eventually returned to The White Hart Inn. Next Frédéric joined The Bath Priory hotel, then, in 2006, returned to The Waterside, this time as premier maître d’hôtel before becoming assistant restaurant manager. Today, he is general manager and oversees all operations from restaurant to front office, as well as housekeeping, staff training and event management. His expertise and passion for cheese and (especially) wine are put to good use, and he collaborates with the head sommelier and team to compile the extensive wine list.
“The Waterside is highly demanding, you cannot be here if you are not 120 per cent,” says Frédéric. “You have to make the right decision at the right time; you cannot hesitate. If something needs to be mended, it needs to be mended now. The way I see it, Diego shared his knowledge with me but I must be myself at my best, and I encourage my staff to do the same. One skill of the job is staying a step ahead of the guests,” he adds. “The moment someone looks at you, you must try to assess what they will want. So it is a bit of guesswork, but I must guess right.”
The Waterside is “set the way it is”, he says, but there is always room for change because “I am working with the younger generation. Things are not like they were when I started. You have to be more understanding and diplomatic with the staff.
“Of course, some of them need polishing. They begin by saying ‘yes, but’. They need to learn that you go nowhere with the ‘but’. It’s only when they understand the philosophy of The Waterside Inn that they start to perform.” Then there is the smile. “As Diego told me, it is very important to smile. When you approach the customers you have to be relaxed as possible. Great service is like a ballet.”
He adds, “When someone joins the team, we spend the first few months talking about the negatives and explaining where they are going wrong. New recruits can feel a bit down because you are constantly saying, ‘That’s not the way we do it here’. You have to pick them up; crack jokes and make them smile again. We take our work seriously but we want to work in harmony. It’s easy to tell somebody when they are wrong and sometimes we forget to praise them. Mr Roux often says: ‘Make sure you praise your team when they do well.’”
Frédéric adds, “At first, they are all nervous when they come here. I tell them, ‘Please don’t worry. You are here to learn. And then we will make you what you will be in the future.’”
Learning from the master: Diego Masciaga (right), who was general manager for 30 years, discusses service with Frédéric‘The way I see it, Diego shared his knowledge with me but I must be myself at my best’
With its riverside setting, elegance and air of luxury, The Waterside is undeniably romantic – for staff as well as guests, it seems! Four couples who fell in love while working here share their stories
Benoît and Manuella with their sons Donassian (left) and Sullivan
BENOIT: “I vividly remember the first time we saw each other. It was the evening of 27 April 1998, a Monday. I was head sommelier and working at one of Mr Roux’s private dinners. Manuella was arriving from France after a long drive and a ferry trip. She was to start work with me, as a sommelier, the next day. She came to reception and, at that moment, I walked in. We saw each other and I thought, ‘Wow!’ I looked at her and saw her eyes shining. We both felt something. But it wasn’t until the next day that I spoke to her.
“The attraction was very strong. However, as Manuella’s manager, I wanted to keep it secret; I was keen to make sure other members of staff didn’t feel I was giving her preferential treatment.
“We had our first kiss on 12 July 1998. It was the day of the World Cup final; France versus Brazil. We are both French so, after work that night, we went to watch the match with some friends. France won three-nil. Manuella and I had a glass of champagne and kissed. It was our night!
“We kept the romance a secret until shortly before we got married. We wanted to be sure of what we were doing before telling everybody that we were in love. When I told Mr Roux, Robyn and [then general manager] Diego, they were all very surprised.
“We were married in May 2001, in Manuella’s home village of Saint-Marcel in Brittany, and Robyn Roux was among the guests.
ARIANNA: “For us, it was not love at first sight. We got to know each other as colleagues. He was assistant head sommelier and I was a hostess, responsible for greeting guests. Then one day, Maxime invited me for a coffee in town. We spoke about many things – I liked the way he looked at me and his voice. His French accent added an extra point! He was also charming and mysterious.
“At the Christmas staff party, Maxime took me to one side and spoke about his feelings towards me. He was direct and confident, which I liked. Then, on Boxing Day, we went out for our ‘official’ first date. That’s when we decided we should be together. The following day, we both left for holidays in our home countries – Max for France, me for Italy –and we didn’t see each other for nearly a month.
moment at the Moulin Rouge, which was like going back in time. That was the night we truly fell in love, and it is one of the best memories we have.”
MAXIME: “Over that first coffee in town we had a long talk, which I loved. Arianna really listened to me, and I was interested in everything she said. We spoke about whether some things are better in France or in Italy, a discussion that still continues. I thought she was passionate and natural, and from that moment I knew she was special.
“On Arianna’s birthday in 2015, I took her to visit Kensington Palace in London as a treat. In the gardens, we got engaged. The gardens are romantic and intimate, the perfect place for such a special moment.
“A few years later, when Manuella was pregnant with our first child, the doctors identified a problem with the baby’s foot. We knew a good surgeon in Brittany and he assured us that he could help. So we put family first and decided to return to France.
“That baby, Sullivan, is now 13 and he runs, plays basketball and is a very good swimmer. His name is Celtic in origin – we chose it because we spent 12 years in England and wanted to have an association with that period of our lives. We also have another son, Donassian, who is ten.
“We now run a business together, Le Parc Fétan in Brittany – a family hotel by the sea.”
“During the holidays that January we talked on the phone and decided that we’d visit Paris together in March. We walked from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre; it was very romantic and the atmosphere was lovely. We had macarons, which I adore, and popped into some wine shops for Maxime. At the Pont des Arts, we locked a padlock to the bridge as a sign of the beginning of something special. Then we shared a magical
“Now we have our own little nest, a charming house in Bracknell. The next step will be to set a wedding date. We’d like to get our families together in a château in France. At some point, the very big step will be to have a family, although we are still young and will wait for the right time.
“I still work for the Roux family, as general manager at Skindles (see page 18). Arianna no longer works in hospitality, but The Waterside Inn will always be a very special place for both of us.”
‘We saw each other and I thought, “Wow!” I looked at her and saw her eyes shining. We both felt something’
MANUELLA AND BENOIT RADENNE
SARAH: “I started as a pastry chef at The Waterside in the autumn of 1999. The work was intense – I’d never worked so hard, to such a high standard, and was exhausted.
“After the traditional break in January, there was always anticipation about who, from the previous year, would come back. And who would be the new ones? I remember standing there when the new influx of chefs arrived – Stéphane was one of them.
“Instantly, I liked the look of him. However, we didn’t get together for over a year. To begin with, we bickered and fell out. I felt he had an unfair advantage because he was French and had a laugh with chef Alain. Stéphane probably thought that I had a bond with ‘Tiger’ (sous chef Chris Lelliott) as we’d worked together at Gravetye Manor. Stéphane has said that he thought I was a creep to all the senior staff. Looking back, he may have had a point…
“But we were bonded by our focus. Stéphane loved the Waterside experience and changed from a joker into a hard-working chef. I was awestruck by having a job at this prestigious restaurant. Mr Roux’s Desserts book had been a favourite of mine for
years – it was so well used the cover had fallen off.
“It was at one of the staff boat parties that we realised we were becoming more than mates. I was dating a waiter at the time, but after the party I knew I needed to end that. Steph and I were officially an item the following week. From then on, we were inseparable. I really felt I’d found my soulmate.
“We haven’t got married – yet. But we continue to work together: we left The Waterside and opened our restaurant, The Checkers, in Powys in 2011. Within eight months, we earned a Michelin star. We’ve now relaunched as Checkers Pantry, giving ourselves more time to spend with our three children.
“Our first, Lexie, arrived on 15 May 2007, my 30th birthday. Two more children followed: Roxanne Charlotte, nine, and Fabien Roger, six. I wanted another, but Stéphane thought that three was enough so a labrador, Betsy, completed the gang in 2016.”
‘Instantly, I liked the look of him. However, we didn’t get together for over a year. To begin with, we bickered’Sarah and Stéphane with their children (from left) Fabien Roger, Lexie and Roxanne Charlotte
JEAN-PIERRE: “We met in January 2000, at the beginning of the new season. I was living in Maidenhead, where lots of the staff had homes, and my housemates and I thought it would be a good idea to hold a little gathering to welcome the new members of the team at The Waterside.
“When the doorbell rang, I went to open it. That is when Anne and I met for the first time. The moment we saw each other, that was it. People talk about love at first sight, and I really did feel that I was seeing the woman who would become the love of my life. No words could come out of my mouth. After a few seconds – it felt like an eternity – I composed myself enough to say, ‘Good evening.’
“At the time, I was maître d’hôtel and Anne was a receptionist. We had the same shift, opening or closing the restaurant together. This gave us the opportunity to get to know each other. Three months later, however, we still had not confessed our feelings towards each other.
“One evening, after closing the restaurant, Anne drove me home. On this full-moon night, we kissed.
“I had been preparing to leave The Waterside in the coming May, to open a new restaurant for Mr Roux on a Celebrity Cruises ship. Anne joined me and we worked together on board the ship from August 2000 and had a thousand opportunities to get married in beautiful destinations: Hawaii, Alaska, Bermuda or the Caribbean. But we decided to marry in Anne’s home town of Reims in April 2002, and our families joined us for the celebrations.
“Our partnership with Celebrity Cruises and Mr Roux ended in January 2004, and we decided to live in Normandy. We opened our first wine
cellar in Le Havre. It was not just the beginning of a business, but also the start of a family: our son Arthur was born in 2005. The following year, we opened our second wine cellar. Then, in 2007, Harry was born. Two years later, we opened a restaurant and delicatessen.
“In 2014, we bought a 19th-century building in Le Havre, which became our restaurant, delicatessen and wine cellar. It was a great achievement for us. We later sold the company to our employees. Today, I work for The Apollo Group, based in Miami, as corporate service manager for Oceania cruises, while Anne is a therapist and hypnotherapist in Le Havre. I travel a lot, but we are still very much together.”
ANNE: “I hadn’t even wanted to go to the gathering that evening. I had spent all day travelling from Strasbourg to Maidenhead, and I was exhausted! But my boyfriend at the time was a member of staff and Jean-Pierre (JP) was his supervisor, so I had to force myself to go.
“When JP opened the door, I said to myself, ‘What a shame I’m not alone!’ JP and I sat side by side at a table of eight, and as we talked, I could sense the chemistry between us, as if we knew everything about each other.
“Since JP was preparing to leave The Waterside Inn in May to open Mr Roux’s new restaurant on the cruise ship, we had such a short window of time to catch our love!”
‘Three days after our first kiss, JP proposed with a magnificent sapphire ring. It was an amazing point in both our lives’Jean-Pierre and Anne with their sons Arthur (left) and Harry
Meeting the exacting requirements of professional clients is what we do. And exacting requirements do not come any more challenging than those of Roux at Skindles. So we are delighted to have been part of the team that achieved the dream kitchen for Alain and Michel Roux.
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“Yet another superior kitchen installation, for Michel and Alain Roux, by Gratte Brothers”
Alain Roux
Design, sales, installation and maintenance of commercial catering facilities
Great dishes call for the finest ingredients, which is why butcher Russell Allen cares so much about the provenance of the meat he supplies to HM The Queen and The Waterside Inn
THIS IS THE STORY OF A BUTCHER IN Warwickshire, a chef in Berkshire and a grand rib of beef from an animal that grazed the lush, rolling hills of the West Country.
The chef is Alain Roux, chef-patron at The Waterside Inn. And the butcher is Russell Allen, managing director of Aubrey Allen, a business that Russell’s hard-grafting grandfather founded in the 1930s. The company, based in Coventry, holds a royal warrant from HM The Queen and, since 2001, has also supplied meat to the Roux kitchens in Bray. (Aubrey Allen’s crack-of-dawn deliveries go like this: Windsor Castle, first, The Waterside, second.)
But let’s begin with the meat, and two rules that help to ensure it is of the highest quality. “The first thing is the breed,” says Russell. “All our meat is of a native breed such as Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn and Longhorn.” Native-breed cattle are slow-growing and slaughtered at about 24 months old, making them tasty and fatty (compared with most supermarket beef which is 14 months old and lean).
Then there is the feed. “We provide grass-fed beef from cattle that lived in a wilderness environment, where they can graze naturally and put on fat over time. This creates the marbling – the fat that runs through the meat. Fat is where the flavour is.”
Much of the beef comes from Devon and Cornwall. “It’s hilly, grassy, has plenty of fresh water, and a low population. When we think of the environment for the cattle, it’s not unlike a wine producer considering
terroir. You wouldn’t want beef that is raised beside Spaghetti Junction. Pollution and noise can cause animals to get stressed. Environment is crucial, as are farmers who really care about what they are doing.”
Once slaughtered, the whole carcass is delivered to Coventry for dry ageing and butchery. “The beef stays on the bone and is hung for a minimum of 21 days; beef for The Waterside is dry aged for 40 days at the request of the chef,” says Russell. “During this period, it loses moisture to the air and is naturally tenderised while the flavour intensifies.”
Russell, who was a chef until joining the family business at the age of 28, adds, “And then there is craftsmanship. You can get the best meat in the world but if you’ve got a bad craftsman it can all go wrong.” Aubrey Allen uses the French style of butchery, “seaming out” individual muscles of a cut of meat.
“A series of meticulous processes, from the farm to the table, make the magic. There is care and attention at every turn. All of these things are simple but often people are more concerned with cutting costs than turning out great products,” says Russell.
“Our focus is on the moment when a customer eats that piece of meat and says, ‘Wow! That’s sensational.’ And I know the Roux philosophy is the same. That’s why we work so well together.”
The rib in this story is transported, along with other meat deliveries, to The Waterside, about an 80-mile drive from Aubrey Allen wholesale HQ and the butcher’s shop in Leamington Spa. Alain Roux – like the rest of his family, a keen
admirer of Aberdeen Angus – takes charge of the meat after it arrives at the kitchen door.
He begins to prep it for roasting. “If you get a rib from your butcher, ask for trimmings. These can go in the roasting tin around the joint. Or the fat can be melted in a pan and used as you would butter or oil. Fat brings moisture and flavour.”
Before roasting the rib, Alain sears it on the hob, creating a flavourful, golden-brown crust. He then transfers it to a medium oven. “It’s a large piece of meat and will be roasting for a while. The larger the cut, the lower the oven temperature,” he says. “Small pieces are cooked faster at a higher temperature.”
As the rib roasts, Michel comes into the kitchen and shares a story about Aubrey Allen. “I remember when they supplied me with some lamb, which I took to France to cook on a spit. The people who roasted it had eaten their fair share of excellent lamb, but said they had never tasted lamb as good as that.”
Alain is serving the meat with shallots tatin, a vegetable version of the classic apple tart. Big shallots are sliced into two or three pieces, caramelised in butter and sugar, then cooked in puff pastry; a splash of vinegar adds sharpness. To finish, chanterelle mushrooms and parsley are cooked in butter. It’s the perfect complement to a magnificent piece of meat.
Aubrey Allen, who founded the business, was a man of steely resolve. His father was killed in battle during World War I, and Aubrey, aged 13, was left an orphan. He found a job slaughtering cattle. “Eventually the old man he worked for died and he took over the business,” says Russell Allen (above).
In 1933 Aubrey opened his first butcher shop. Six years later, with the outbreak of World War II, he went to fight. When he returned to Britain, his business was finished (and rationing lasted into the 1950s). He bounced back, however, and by the 1970s had eight butcher shops.
Aubrey’s son Peter – Russell’s father – took over the business, and in the 1980s the firm began to supply restaurants, gaining a reputation for excellence.
Russell says of Aubrey, “Having grown up in a time when money and food were scarce, he was driven by a terrible fear of poverty, never wanting to return to the misery he’d known in his early life.”
“My grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit wasn’t restricted to the meat industry,” adds Russell. “After the war, he got a taxi from the station one day and thought, ‘My God, that was expensive...’ So he started a taxi business!”
‘Our focus is on the moment when a customer eats that piece of meat and says, “Wow! That’s sensational.” And I know the Roux philosophy is the same’
If you’ve ever wondered how The Waterside Inn always looks so immaculate, it’s because father and son team Tom and Tom Martell have between them been its decorators for the past 30 years
TOM MARTELL, 90, AND HIS SON, TOM Martell Jnr, are sitting in the bar, enjoying a drink before lunch and chatting about the old days. The two Toms have been to The Waterside Inn hundreds of times, but rarely have they relished a feast in the dining room or savoured the Michelin-starred service. Instead, they could be found in overalls, up ladders, brushes in hand, because between them, the pair have been the principal painters and decorators in this elegant space for more than three decades.
“We know every nook and cranny of the restaurant, the kitchen and guest rooms – we’ve made them look lovely,” says cockney-born Tom Snr, who retired some years ago.
The Martells are “part of the family”, says Michel Roux, and the relationship goes back to 1984. It began not in Bray but in the South of France. There, one evening, Michel went for dinner at the Saint Tropez home of Joseph Berkmann, the distinguished restaurateur turned wine merchant. At the time, Mr Berkmann owned seven restaurants in London and had been keeping Tom Martell Snr busy working through the nights to maintain them.
Tom Jnr recalls, “We were painting the exterior of Mr Berkmann’s house, when Mr Roux came out and spoke to Dad. He said, ‘I’ve just had the kitchens redone at my restaurant, and the builders have messed up.’ Actually, he may have sworn a little.” The Martells soon found themselves at The Waterside, sorting out the ceiling in the kitchens.
They weren’t able to work while the chefs were cooking, however. “It was night work,” says Tom Jnr, “which is usually the way with restaurants. Dad was used to it, having worked in Mr Berkmann’s restaurants for ages. On the first night, we had to wait until service had finished. I said to Dad, ‘I can’t work now. I want to go to sleep!’” But it wasn’t long before young Tom adapted to nocturnal working and, by the time the job was finished, a strong working relationship had begun with the Rouxs.
When Michel and Robyn bought a 19th-century shepherd’s hut in Saint Tropez, Tom Snr spent a couple of months there, getting the property into shape. “My French wasn’t great,” he says. “Actually, the only word I knew was jambon. Ham.”
Tom Jnr adds, “I went to help Dad, and we’d go and get the paint from a shop called Mason’s. Michel would scratch his head and say, ‘Mason’s? Never heard of it.’ Then one day, he said, ‘I’ll come with you to see where this Mason’s is’. So we
went together. Turns out it was called Ma Maison.”
Apart from the jambon, Tom Snr also fell in love with tarte Tropézienne, Saint Tropez’s delicious speciality of brioche filled with orange-scented cream. Subsequently, Robyn would return from France to England with a Tropézienne especially for Tom; a small gift for looking after Michel and Robyn’s cat, Minou. Tom Jnr, who still works at The Waterside, says, “Robyn was fantastic. We both loved her. She was a genius with colours. Dad and I were both very upset when she died.”
For a quarter of a century, before Tom Snr’s retirement, the Toms’ focus was the Inn, which “we saw grow, as guest rooms were added”. Decorating at The Waterside takes place in January, when the restaurant closes for its annual staff holiday. They recall the painting of the private dining room, 30 years ago. This task was undertaken by an Italian artist, Perucchetti, who had “long hair and was handsome,” says Tom Jnr. “We were told just to help him because he was really special.
“He wanted to make up a paint and gave us a shopping list of materials from the paint suppliers. So we got what he needed and then popped into Waitrose to get some Ribena for Perucchetti. We went back into the private dining room, where he was doing his stuff. I wanted to watch and learn. Then he picked up the Ribena and poured it straight into the mixing pot!
“He looked up and said: ‘The way I make the paint is organic.’ Three decades later and you can still see the Ribena in the paint. It’s unbelievable.”
From time to time, their team included Tom Snr’s brother, Bert. “He was wonderful,” says Tom Jnr, “but a bit forgetful. One day we were doing the outside of the restaurant and had scaffolding up. Bert finished for the day and headed home, and later he called me and asked if I’d seen his mobile phone – it was the early days of mobiles. Well, I hadn’t seen it and told him so and that was that.
“Eight years later we were repainting the front and had scaffolding up. One of the guys working for me pulled something out of the gutter. I called Bert at home and said, ‘Bert, we found your phone.’”
Michel Roux on Tom and Tom: “The Martells are exemplary decorators. I remember years ago Tom Snr telling me: ‘Preparation is everything… You smooth this, fill that, polish it, then you’ll have done a lovely job.’ This respect for preparation is the same in our kitchen. Everything prepared well will taste good and look good.”
‘We know every nook and cranny of all the rooms. We’ve made them look lovely ’
Join three generations of the Roux family at Michel’s riverside home for a relaxed lunch of classic French dishes
THE RIVERSIDE LAWN IS FRESHLY MOWN, the table is set and a vase of hydrangeas completes the scene. Michel Roux is waiting to greet his family for Sunday lunch in his garden, close to The Waterside Inn. Today, however, Michel is not the cook. “It’s good to have a break once in a while,” he says, “and I’m leaving the cooking in the most capable hands.”
Enter Alain Roux, kitchen right, who will be preparing lunch. Joining father and son at the table are Alain’s wife Laura and the couple’s two children, Paul, aged eight, and five-year-old Louise.
“I’m making a few French classics,” says Alain. “When I was young, every grandmother would make these.” Eggs mimosa is the starter. For the main course, he has prepared petit farcis à la Provençal (stuffed vegetables). “And dessert will be île flottante (floating island). There can’t be a table in France that hasn’t seen îles flottantes.”
While he works at the chopping board, Alain chats about his grandmother Germaine, who was well known to the stallholders at her local markets.
“Grandma was exceptional when it came to buying something,” recalls Alain. “She was very direct and could instantly spot quality produce… If a vegetable or piece of fruit looked tired because it was picked too long ago or left out in the sun, she let the stallholder know about it. She never wasted money on poor-quality goods and people didn’t dare offer something to her unless it was the best.”
Germaine was also a passionate cook. “It was like watching a chef in the kitchen. Her mother had been an excellent cook, too. She focused on the task in hand and getting the taste and seasoning just right.”
Lunch begins. Eggs mimosa is a simple dish. Six hard-boiled eggs are sliced in half lengthways. The yolks are removed, finely chopped and gently mixed with mayonnaise and herbs (Alain uses chives). This mixture is returned to the hollow where the yolk once was, then scattered with slices of black olive.
“It’s a starter that suits any time of the year; every grandmother adds her own touches,” says Alain.
“As a substitute for the mayonnaise, or in addition to it, you could add some shrimp, prawns or anchovies.”
Sometimes he adds croutons. “My grandmother – and other grandmothers – hated waste, so if there were any leftovers they had to be used. If bread was a little hard it would make fabulous croutons.”
It is a starter that meets with Michel’s approval.
“I am an egg fanatic. If I could choose my final meal, eggs would be there. But just as a simple dish; perhaps a soft-poached egg with a dollop of caviar.”
The main course, petits farcis, is a colourful variety of summer vegetables with a meaty filling. Alain uses tomatoes, green and yellow courgettes and aubergines. Again, no Michelin-star skills are required.
Keeping the skins intact, the tomato and courgette flesh is removed and sautéed in olive oil. Once cool, it is then mixed with minced pork or sausagemeat,
finely chopped parsley, bread (soaked in milk) and an egg. The tomatoes and courgettes are filled with this mixture. The aubergine, meanwhile, is halved lengthways and the meat is spread along the centre.
The vegetables are then brushed with olive oil, scattered with thyme leaves and baked in a medium oven – “That’s it,” says Alain. “A dish Grandma would cook any day of the week. It can be one dish as part of a meal, or if you serve it with rice or pasta, it’s a meal in itself. Even if you have only tomatoes or peppers, they are wonderful when stuffed.”
Next comes dessert. Paul and Louise have waited patiently for their star of the show, and it arrives, carried by Michel from kitchen to table. Iles flottantes – or in this case île flottante, singular; there’s one huge island of meringue floating on the crème anglaise (a creamy vanilla custard), rather than lots of smaller ones. Floating islands is not only a family favourite in France, but also a dish you will find in both the humblest brasserie and the most elevated restaurant.
As with eggs mimosa and petits farcis, every cook adds her or his own touches to this classic pudding.
“This takes me back,” says Alain. “Occasionally it was served as individual portions but most of the time it was served for the whole table in a large dish. As a kid, that’s far more impressive. It’s like a big white cloud, and you can’t wait to tuck in.” Which is just what his own children are doing at this point.
He considers it easy to make, but follows a few rules. “Don’t over-beat the egg white. And the meringue shouldn’t be too sweet. The dish is finished with a caramel that must have a crunchy bite, so there’s a mixture of tastes and textures: the whole thing should explode in your mouth.”
The crème anglaise can be flavoured according to the cook’s tastes. “Grandma would normally keep it simple, with vanilla. She was thrifty and she’d use a vanilla pod quite a few times, scraping out the seeds for several dishes. Vanilla is one of those exceptional ingredients, like caviar and saffron, that is pretty expensive. However, you could also grate cinnamon over the custard. Or add coffee infused in milk.”
Germaine served pink sugared almonds with her îles flottantes: “They’re irresistible to any kid. Sometimes I add a few, but mostly I use flaked almonds which I’ve toasted first on a baking tray in the oven.”
Paul and Louise run off to play football. And as the table is cleared, Alain reminisces about a moment from his own childhood. “We would always judge the importance of the gathering by the number of vanilla seeds in the îles flottantes,” he says. “The more seeds, the more important the occasion!”
‘The dish is finished with a caramel that must have a crunchy bite, so there’s a mixture of tastes and textures: the whole thing should explode in your mouth’
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Long, steady relationships with some of the finest family-run châteaux in Bordeaux mean the wines served at The Waterside Inn are second to none
WINE, IT HAS BEEN SAID, MAKES every meal an occasion. Michel Roux’s own passion for wine was ignited when, as a young man fresh out of the army, he became the youngest head chef working for Miss Cecile de Rothschild, whose family produces some of the world’s finest vintages, including Château Lafitte. After lunch or supper, near-empty decanters were carried to the kitchens and Michel was invited to taste what was left. “If you develop your palate on wines like that, a love of wine takes on a different dimension,” he says.
Every year Michel visits Bordeaux, one of the most significant regions on earth, to discover the latest vintage and to buy en primeur (before bottling). There, amid some 7,400 vineyards, he swirls, sniffs, sips and (occasionally) spits. He also makes time to share a bottle and a meal with some of those who own and manage the vineyards, caves and cellars, helping to establish and maintain the relationships that underpin The Waterside Inn’s extraordinary wine list.
Here, Michael Trenga, head sommelier at The Waterside, chooses his favourite Bordeaux wines from the châteaux of Pavie, Lynch-Bages and Haut-Marbuzet – all of which are on the wine list at The Waterside Inn or available from Michel Roux Fine Wines – while Michel talks about the families behind them.
Michael Trenga: With some 35 hectares of vineyards, Château Pavie is the largest of all the Saint-Emilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘A’ estates. It is on the Right Bank (just north of the Dordogne river), where the wines produced are mostly dominated by the merlot grape, resulting in smooth, velvety, plummy flavours. Pavie is 55 per cent merlot, 25 per cent cabernet franc and 20 per cent cabernet sauvignon. This is a beautiful Saint-Emilion.
Michel Roux: The vineyard was bought in 1998 by Gerard Perse (pictured second from right with his wife, daughter and son-in-law), who made his fortune from supermarkets. He developed the vineyard further, and later his daughter and son-in-law joined him in the management of it. In 2012 Pavie was elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’
status. It is a family-run estate that has done amazingly well. However, the Perse family are viewed by some in Bordeaux as ‘outsiders’: they have been in Bordeaux for only a couple of decades, not generations! There are even those who consider them successful entrepreneurs and cannot help but feel resentment. Personally, I think it’s lovely to see that this family have elevated Château Pavie to the first rank. Not bad for newcomers!
Michael Trenga
Château Pavie Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru‘The wines in this area are mostly dominated by the merlot grape, resulting in smooth, velvety, plummy flavours. This is a beautiful Saint-Emilion’
CHATEAU LYNCH-BAGES Chateau Lynch-Bages Grand Cru Classé Pauillac
Michael: This is an unquestionably prestigious Cinquième Cru (Fifth Growth) Classé from the Médoc commune of Pauillac. The estate is on the Left Bank of the Gironde, where cabernet sauvignon grapes most often dominate, delivering wines that are earthy, tannic and robust. Lynch-Bages is indeed all of these, as well as being rich in black fruit, with a dusty spiciness and smoky finish. I recommend decanting it to let it ‘open up’ and to remove the wine’s natural deposits.
Michel: An inspiring story lies behind this fabulous vineyard. The ‘Lynch’ refers to Thomas Lynch, the son of an Irishman who produced wine here in the 1700s. A couple of centuries later, the vineyard was acquired by Jean-Charles Cazes, a baker who came to Pauillac after World War II. His grandson Jean-Michel took over in the 1980s and became a great pioneer in the industry. Jean-Michel did so much for Bordeaux; he is an ambassador for the region and its wines, and has restored the nearby village of Bages, which had become derelict.
Jean-Michel stepped aside in 2006 so that his son Jean-Charles (above) could take the reins. He continues to produce wines of outstanding quality.
‘An inspiring story lies behind this fabulous vineyard. Thomas Lynch, the son of an Irishman, produced wine here in the 1700s. Two centuries later, the vineyard was acquired by Jean-Charles Cazes, who came to Pauillac after World War II. His grandson Jean-Michel took over in the 1980s and now Jean-Michel’s son continues to produce wines, such as this, of outstanding quality’
Michel Roux
Michael: This wine, from the Médoc commune Saint-Estèphe on the Left Bank, is of remarkable quality. Made up of 50 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 40 per cent merlot and 10 per cent cabernet franc, it is very well balanced, earthy and rich in blackcurrant, with a finish that is both smooth and luxurious.
Michel: I make my annual visits to Bordeaux with Claude Grant, co-director of Michel Roux Fine Wines. We search for what to buy en primeur. For the past few years, Haut-Marbuzet has been firmly on our list.
The estate was acquired by Hervé Duboscq in 1952 and then passed to Henri, his son. Henri remains at the helm, but the estate is now managed by his sons, Bruno (right) and Hugues. The château is very much la vieille France: a place of tradition, where time-honoured customs
continue to be observed. Claude and I do not only taste the wines when we visit, Henri also invites us to enjoy lunch with him and his wife. It’s never more than three courses, but it is proper food – it talks to your palate – and, just like the wines, is absolutely delicious.
Henri is also a wonderful speaker: when he’s talking to you, it’s as if he is delivering a speech. How reassuring that there are still characters like him around! He is entertaining, interesting and never pompous – just perfect.
Michael Trenga
In 1855, Napoleon III organised the Exposition Universelle de Paris. Determined to rival Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851, the Emperor wanted to show off all France had to offer. Wine, the nation’s most valuable treasure, was essential. The organisers, however, expressed concern. Would visitors merely grab and glug, and not appreciate? They decided to rank the wines on quality, reputation and market price. The 1855 Bordeaux classification was born and remains to this day.
The classification system relates to red wines from the Médoc region of Bordeaux (plus one from Graves), which are graded into five sub-divisions. At the top there are the eye-wateringly pricey Premiers Crus (First Growths). Only five châteaux, all producing exceptional wines, bear this designation: Ch. Lafite Rothschild; Ch. Latour; Ch. Margaux; Ch. Mouton Rothschild; and Ch. Haut-Brion. At the other end of the 1855 scale, there are the Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths). These are more affordable, but still extremely good.
The sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac are also classified, but only into three classes: Premier Crus Supérieurs (Superior First Growths), Premiers Crus (First Growths) and Deuxième Crus (Second Growths).
But the 1855 classification is only the first – four other classification systems exist. The Crus Bourgeois classification was formalised in 1932, representing lesser-known but still high-quality Médoc wines. The wines of Graves were classified in 1953 (there is no hierarchy for these); the wines of Saint-Emilion followed in 1954, subdivided into Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘A’, Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘B’ and Grands Crus. And in 1989, the Crus Artisans classification was founded, representing small wineries.
‘This wine is very well balanced, earthy and rich in blackcurrant, with a finish that is both smooth and luxurious’
Two families who have had a far-reaching impact on the world of hospitality explain why they are stronger together
FOUR DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF TWO GREAT dynasties meet for lunch: Sir Rocco Forte and his daughter, Lydia; Michel Roux and his son, Alain. The venue is Brown’s, an elegant five-star hotel in Mayfair, owned (naturally) by the Fortes.
Sir Rocco, son of the late, great hotelier Charles Forte, founded his own group in 1996. He has a dozen five-star hotels around the world and, he reveals as he sips chilled meursault, “another four on the way”. He is joined at the helm of Rocco Forte Hotels by his sister, Olga Polizzi, Lydia, who is the group’s director of food and beverage, and his two other children, Irene and Charles.
Journalist James Steen joins them for an insightful discussion about hotels, restaurants and the unique nature of a family business.
WHAT IGNITED YOUR PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY? Alain: “I was working at a patisserie in Paris and would see these fantastic desserts displayed in the front window every day. A lot of them were classics, the sort of things you see in every pastry shop in the city. And then I realised that I could actually make them, too. I could follow the recipe. I could master the techniques and I could get better at this. That’s when the passion began.”
Lydia: “When I left university, I became a waitress. All my friends who’d done Oxford degrees were going into management consultancy or finance, and they said to me, ‘What are you doing?’ But it was actually a really enjoyable experience. My first job as an assistant maître d’ at The Wolseley was the clincher for me. We’d do 1,600 covers a day and the sense of teamwork, the adrenaline and the excitement I got from doing that was so different to anything I had done before. That’s when I thought, ‘I am going to go into restaurants’.” Rocco: “At school, I had no real sense of what I wanted to do. But after working in the business over the holidays, I got a passion for it. I worked in practically every department – in the kitchens, as a waiter, even cleaning the bedrooms. My first job was in the cellars at the Café Royal.
WERE YOU ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THE FAMILY BUSINESS?
Rocco: “I think my father [Lord Forte] always wanted me to, yes. When I was 13 I won a role in an ITV play. I was paid £480 – a lot of money back in 1958 – and immediately got other offers. I got rather excited but my father said to me, ‘Do you want to work hard at school, go off to university and then eventually come into the business? Or do you want to become an actor?’ I found myself agreeing on the first option.”
Michel: “I never encouraged Alain to follow me into the business. But when he was 14 he said to me, ‘I want to do exactly what you have done, Dad. I want to go into pastry and then cooking.’ And that’s more or less what happened. I had mixed feelings but two years later I found him a position in a patisserie in Paris. He’d start at four in the morning and he really had to work hard to progress. Now I feel more proud of him than ever.”
Lydia: “Treating customers as if they were guests at your home. I think that’s so much of what having a family business is all about. Our name is over the door so we feel personally responsible for the experience guests are getting.”
Rocco: “Guests must feel welcome. There should be a warm greeting; show them that you want them to be there and make them feel important.
“The famous Mayfair restaurant Cecconi’s opened in 1978. It’s still there today – though Mr Cecconi isn’t. He was always very nice, but as he greeted you he’d say, ‘You should have come last night: Princess Margaret was sitting over there and a famous actor was sitting over there...’ That made you feel insignificant. Then you’d go to Annabel’s
and the maître d’ Louis would say, ‘I’ve got your special table for you, Mr Forte.’ You immediately felt like the most important person in the room. Two different styles – Louis’ was the correct one.
Michel: “You’ve got to be made to feel like a king or a queen. The way I see it, the guest comes to see us at home – the only difference is that they are paying. We give them theatre; we are selling happiness.”
WHAT ABOUT WHEN A GUEST ISN’T HAPPY?
Michel: “If you have 30,000 customers a year and you receive no complaints at all, it’s either magic or the complaints somehow aren’t reaching you. They must be dealt with instantly, and each one requires personal attention.”
Lydia: “Sometimes good service isn’t just about doing everything correctly. It’s about understanding what that customer wants in that moment. And they all want something different. You can still get it wrong, which is difficult, but it’s all about trying to be intuitive and feel what the guest is feeling.
“Reception can be the worst because it’s often the first point of call for anyone in a bad mood or who has a complaint. I was once working at the Astoria in St Petersburg and outside it was freezing cold, grey and raining. A guest came in and started shouting at me because their umbrella didn’t work. It wasn’t even an umbrella from the hotel. But you just have to deal with it because obviously they are a guest and you want them to have a nice time. Everyone has their bad days.”
Rocco: “I take complaints very seriously and will get involved myself because it’s one way of showing the customer that you really care. If
‘When Alain was 14, he said, “I want to do exactly what you have done, Dad. I want to go into pastry and then cooking.” Now I feel more proud of him than ever’
you treat a complaint properly, you have a customer for life. It’s not about compensation, it’s about dealing with the customer’s problem.
“I’ve had letters that say, ‘I was in one of your hotels and it was not up to your usual standard. I thought you should know...’ Rather than complaining, they are telling me what’s wrong, and that’s rather nice, because it shows you’ve created an expectation.
“I hate it when people treat staff badly, though. Sometimes guests can be so rude. Once, when I was running a place in Cannes, I saw a customer tearing strips off the restaurant manager. He was treating him like dirt. So I immediately went over and said to the customer: ‘Get out of here. I don’t want people like you in this restaurant.’”
Alain: “Personality. The team must work well together, of course, but it makes all the difference when there’s a personal touch to the service.”
Michel: “Attention to detail.”
Rocco: “You have to care. If you care, then when things are not going well, it hurts – so you put it right. A hotel is a 24-hour business. If I am on holiday and get a call, I will deal with it, regardless. I expect the same of my general managers. The hotel revolves around you so you’ve got to build your life around the hotel. When you’re running a business you can’t accept anything substandard.”
Alain: “You can be very direct with each other and sometimes you don’t even need to speak – you simply know from a look or a gesture.”
Rocco: “Your family can tell you things that you might not want to hear; things that make you think and reconsider.”
Michel: “It saves time, too – you don’t have to wait for the next board meeting to discuss something. As family, we don’t have to put up with the usual company nonsense of people showing their muscles and all that. We already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
It was Lydia who came up with the idea for the brasserie. “We had this beautiful hotel, The Balmoral, and we’d done a lot of refurbishment but the restaurant hadn’t been touched,” she says. “I thought, why don’t we do a proper brasserie with the people who really know how?”
Many of the dishes at Brasserie Prince are inspired by dishes cooked by Michel’s mother. “We’re serving dishes that are delicious and special to my father and me,” says Alain. Classics on the menu include boeuf bourguignon, trout with almonds, and rabbit legs with mustard.
Michel says, “It’s a real family affair, but I must add that the general manager, Richard Cooke, is one of the best I’ve ever worked with. And when you see the hotel, you just think: ‘Wow!’” He adds, “I love Scotland and I love the Scottish. The Scottish and the French have always got along well.”
Brasserie Prince by Alain Roux opened at The Balmoral, the Fortes’ iconic Edinburgh hotel, in summer 2018.
PRINCE AMONG BRASSERIES
WINNERS FOR 10 YEARS IN A ROW
Fabrice Uhryn, head chef at The Waterside Inn, considers the joys of pickling and preserving, and shares an easy recipe for gooseberry chutney
THE ANCIENT ART OF PRESERVING FOOD comes naturally to Fabrice Uhryn. He grew up in Belgium’s countryside, where it was common culinary practice for cooks to preserve produce that would see them through the colder months.
“My mum made jams, and pickled onions and
beetroots,” he says. As a child, Fabrice would also forage for mushrooms, preserving them in myriad ways, from drying to pickling and freezing.
“The domestic freezer might be a relatively new invention,” he notes, “but people have been preserving foods by freezing for hundreds of
Fabrice is a keen gardener – “I have the growing bug,” he admits – and can often be found digging, pruning and planting at the allotment he shares with his partner Stephanie. Much of his life is spent indoors, in the kitchen, so “being outside connects me with nature. I can relax.” The produce he grows is likely to be preserved at home and enjoyed by the whole family. “As a child, I preferred sweet jams, but my daughter Lily is very keen on my homemade gherkins and pickles.”
Fabrice loves to experiment with pickling, too, saying: “It keeps me interested. For example, nasturtium seeds can be pickled to become what used to known as ‘poor man’s capers’. They’re delicious with smoked fish or a cold fish platter.”
Pickling is used in The Waterside Inn kitchen too, not least as a way to reduce waste. “Last year, I had loads of courgettes on my allotment, and there were more coming in from our suppliers,” recalls Fabrice. “So we pickled a lot of them, then served them with quinoa in a salad on the autumn menu.”
It’s not only pickled vegetables that keep Fabrice busy. “I also can’t resist making my own cherry brandy,” he laughs. “And in the summer I head off to the pick-your-own farm and return laden with strawberries and raspberries for jam. I make it as soon as I get home, to capture the freshness of the fruit. Autumn blackberries, meanwhile, go into the freezer for smoothies to enjoy later.
“It’s not just the principle of preserving seasonal food that really matters to me, but also the fun of making these things. I teach my family and friends how to preserve. Every good cook should share their recipes.”
1. Use seasonal produce, as freshly picked as possible and of the best quality, not bruised or damaged.
2. With salt, vinegar and oil, the better the quality, the better the preserve.
3. Make sure all your jars are sterilised before you start.
200ml cider vinegar
• 200g demerara sugar
• 1kg fresh gooseberries, topped and tailed
• 150g onions, chopped
• 225g peeled, deseeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
• 150g peeled and cored cooking apple, cut into small cubes
• ½ garlic clove, chopped
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 110g sultanas
• 1 level tsp English mustard powder
• 1 level tsp ground turmeric
• ½ level tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 pinch of chilli flakes (add more or less to your taste, or omit)
• salt, to taste
2 Add the gooseberries and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent the mixture from catching on the bottom of the pan. As the gooseberries soften, crush them with a large fork or potato masher.
3 Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Simmer for a further 40-50 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
4 Remove from the heat and spoon into a sterilised jar. Seal and allow to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
“A 3-Michelin star establishment is defined not only by attention to every detail but also the quality of the water enjoyed with the meal. It is an essential part of the culinary experience and only the best will do. That is why we choose Hildon Natural Mineral Water.” Michel Roux, OBE.
Savour the pristine taste of an English Natural Mineral Water from a single protected source drawn deep below our Estate.
Hildon’s pure pH neutral composition perfectly refreshes and cleanses the palate. Its exquisite taste enhances the flavours of fine food and wine like no other.
www.hildon.com
Below: Willow room in the eaves of Tan Home cottage; a deer in Windsor Great Park. Opposite: breakfast in bed; a rower; The Waterside Inn II; a Skindles lifebuoy
A visit to The Waterside Inn needn’t be just for lunch or dinner. For a real taste of luxury, make a weekend of it
FRIDAY 6PM Arrive at The Waterside and check in to your room. There are beautifully designed suites in the main building or you can stay in one of the cottages next to the restaurant, the décor of which was designed by the late Robyn Roux, wife of Michel. The rooms are individually furnished with unique touches, from wallpaper fabric to cushions, and all have en-suite bathrooms or showers. Rather than room service, you can avail yourself of a drink in the honesty bar.
7PM Head to the restaurant for a drink before dinner. A glass of champagne or a cocktail mixed by the magnificent Valentino is a must, enjoyed at the bar or in one of the comfy armchairs by reception. Then it’s time for the main event: The Waterside’s Michelin-starred cuisine. Choose à la carte, or opt for Le Menu Exceptionnel – an incredible, multi-course tasting menu showcasing Alain Roux’s exquisite French cooking.
MIDNIGHT Back in your room, place your order for breakfast, before collapsing into your comfortable bed.
SATURDAY 8.30AM Some of The Waterside’s accommodation is right on the banks of the Thames, so you may wake up to the sounds of the river: swans and ducks or the splash of oars gracefully heaved through the waters by early morning rowers.
9AM French continental breakfast is served in your room; a wonderful Waterside treat. In summer, you can sit outside in one of the luxurious dressing gowns provided and feast your eyes on breakfast laid out at your chosen spot. Alternatively (with prior notice) why not eat in one of the little pavilions on the restaurant terrace? Breakfast includes a basket of truly outstanding pastries – croissants, pains au chocolat and more, all baked that morning – as well as freshly squeezed orange juice, fruit and yogurt.
10.30AM The pretty village of Bray is a delight to stroll through. You’ll see dog walkers heading for the nature reserve – ask at reception for directions – or you could take a walk towards Monkey Island. On a reach above Boveney Lock, this tree-lined little island has been a destination for travellers and tourists since the Georgian era.
12.30PM Before lunch, take a trip up the river on The Waterside Inn II, which seats eight. On a summer’s day, nothing could be more peaceful than coasting up the Thames, taking a peek at the gardens of private houses on the banks. Back on dry land at the restaurant, general manager Frédéric can revel in your tale of boating adventure as he escorts you to your table. Choose from à la carte, Le Menu Exceptionnel or Le Menu Gastronomique, the daily changing three-course lunch menu.
3PM Why not take a recuperative snooze in the peaceful and relaxing surroundings of your room?
The Waterside’s jetty (just visible on the right) and a duck’s-eye view of Bray. Below: Windsor Castle is 20 minutes away by car
4PM Time to explore Bray once more, and perhaps to visit its other watering holes. A short walk up Ferry Lane and down the High Street you’ll find The Crown, a lively village pub, with seating in the garden in summer and a cosy, wooden-beamed, low-ceilinged bar inside. Or take a stroll round the corner for a quick pint at the 15th-century Hind’s Head, owned by Heston Blumenthal, passing his iconic restaurant, The Fat Duck, on the way.
7PM A car can be waiting to drive you to Roux at Skindles, the latest venture from Michel and Alain Roux, on the site of a coaching inn built in 1743 next to Maidenhead Bridge. Expect classic modern French food such as moules marinières and chocolate fondant at this friendly brasserie.
SUNDAY 9AM Enjoy another delicious Waterside Inn breakfast, brought to you on a tray along with your choice of Sunday newspapers. Spend the morning perusing the supplements before checking out at 11am.
NOON Visit Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world, just a 20-minute drive from Bray. Then stroll in Windsor Great Park, where you’ll discover 4,800 acres of ancient woodland, gardens and rolling countryside. Choose from several walks, perhaps taking in the blooms of The Savill Garden or an historic woodland in the Valley Gardens, or ambling up the famous Long Walk in the Deer Park. Don’t miss the rhododendrons when they are in full flower.
1PM Head to The Beehive (thebeehivewhitewaltham.com) in nearby White Waltham, which overlooks a cricket pitch and where chef Dominic Chapman and his team serve British gastropub classics.
‘Take a trip up the river on The Waterside Inn II, which seats eight. On a summer’s day, nothing could be more peaceful’
Michel’s passion for fabulous food is plain for all to see, but rather less well known is his love of horse racing.
He has not missed a single Royal Ascot since The Waterside Inn opened just down the road in 1972 and he is a staunch Royalist, so where better to indulge those passions than with the Royal Ascot Racing Club.
Introduced to it by his former chairman Sir Brian Goswell, Michel has been a Member since the beginning of the club, 15 years ago and he loves it.
He says: “It’s not a big club and so the beauty of it is that while you don’t know everyone, everyone knows you. At least one third of the 200 Members are my clients, and I can go there and talk about family or business, or about everything and nothing. I am pro-monarch too, so it makes me very happy to see the Royal Family there.”
“Then of course there is the racing, which is the best in Europe, and all in the most beautiful surroundings.”
Michel’s busy life does not allow him to make use of the Royal Ascot Racing Club’s luxurious facilities quite so often as he would like, but when he can attend he finds that the food, the style, the company and the sport are all “a step above”.
“I like a bet, but I don’t know the form of the horses like my brother Albert, who was private chef to the Queen Mother’s trainer Major Peter Cazalet and follows it every day.
“After all these years I think I have an eye for a nice horse though and so I like to make my choice after seeing them in the paddock.
“Horses are magnificent animals and so close to humans in some ways. Going to the racecourse and getting as close to them as we can is special, and those who never do this are missing something in life. The emotion of the event and the noise from the crowd can be extraordinary.”
Every year the Royal Ascot Racing Club has five horses in training with different trainers, and in 2005 the club got lucky in the best possible way when Motivator won the Derby. Unfortunately Michel couldn’t attend. He explains: “I had some very important guests at the last minute, but of course we all watched the race many times and we all celebrated. The Derby is the most famous race in the world, and it had never been won by a horse owned by a racing club, so it was fantastic.”
Michel made the trip to Paris to see Motivator run well in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe later that year, and he enjoyed it all so much that he has a bronze of him at home.
This year the club’s horses include Projection and Production, who both won at Ascot last year, and also a very promising unraced colt named Coincidence, trained in Newmarket by William Haggas.
He says: “I probably use the club less than most, but that doesn’t matter because of the quality of my time there. I like to take a guest now and again, and I often take one of the company’s directors, because we are mixing with our clients, and they are our future.
“The way I’m looked after at the Royal Ascot Racing Club is exactly as I like to look after my guests here, and since Rhubarb took over the food has been superb. I like to show my face in the kitchen, and I hope I don’t make them nervous because they do a fantastic job.”
So what about about the racing? Michel says: “I like it that with the Royal Ascot Racing Club we can see the horses in the PreParade Ring before the race and then have a fantastic view of the race from the other side.
Projection is becoming a regular at Royal Ascot and if Coincidence proves as good as he promises to be he might well run there too one day. But while the horses are important there’s much, much more to the Royal Ascot Racing Club.
Just ask Michel.
For more information on The Royal Ascot Racing Club please contact the Club Secretary Lucy Humble on 01344 878523 or via email lucy.humble@ascot.co.uk
“The way I’m looked after at the Royal Ascot Racing Club is exactly as I like to look after my guests here, and since Rhubarb took over the food has been superb. ”The Clubroom, RARC South. Motivator winning the 2005 Epsom Derby. Production (Oisin Murphy) wins The Anders Foundation British EBF Crocker Bulteel Maiden Stakes, Ascot 2018.
Benoît Roux, Michel Snr’s paternal grandfather, opens a charcuterie at 3 Place de L’Eglise in the village of Charolles, Saône-et-Loire. Michel Snr is born in a room upstairs in 1941. Three years later his parents, Germaine and Henri, who will inherit the charcuterie, move to the countryside with Michel, older brother Albert (born 1935) and sister Liliane (born 1934) amid fears of encroaching German troops. Liliane and sister Martine (born 1946) still live in France; Liliane is a retired charcutière.
It all started in a humble charcuterie in Saône-et-Loire. Now hard work, culinary expertise and a passion for championing young chefs mean the influence of the Roux family can be felt across the globe
One year after opening charcuterie Le Cochon Rose and restaurant Le Poulbot in London, Michel Snr and Albert open Brasserie Benoît, named after their grandfather, in the City. A year later it is renamed Le Gamin.
Both Albert and Michel train as patissiers. Albert comes to London in the mid 1950s to work as a chef. Michel Snr arrives in London in 1967 (see right).
Michel Snr and Albert open Le Gavroche in Mayfair, named after a character in Les Misérables The restaurant is later the first in the country to be awarded three Michelin stars (in 1982) and is the training ground for some of Britain’s stellar young chefs. Alumni include Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, who has described the Rouxs as “the godfathers of British haute cuisine”.
Albert and Michel Snr open The Waterside. In the inaugural UK Michelin Guide, published in 1974, it is awarded one star, then two in 1977 and three in 1985. It is the only restaurant in the world, outside France, to have retained three stars for 35 years. In 1984, Albert takes sole control of Le Gavroche and Michel Snr takes on The Waterside.
Albert retires and his son Michel Jr (born 1960) becomes chef-patron of Le Gavroche, after learning his craft in top restaurants in Lyon and Paris. Michel Jnr still runs Le Gavroche today. After a stint as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, he now presents other food programmes.
Michel Jr’s daughter Emily (born 1991) opens Caractère, in Notting Hill, London, with her husband, head chef Diego Ferrari. She trained at the Paul Bocuse Institute and worked in Paris, while he trained under and worked for Alain Ducasse, also in Paris. He was head chef at Le Gavroche for three years.
With Alain as chef-patron, Michel Snr continues his role as global ambassador to The Waterside Inn. As well as having opened a brasserie, Le XIX, in CransMontana, Switzerland, Michel Snr opened Roux at Skindles in Taplow Riverside (see page 18) in 2019. He has also cooked in some of the world’s top hotels including the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, The Datai Langkawi in Malaysia and the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
The Roux Scholarship ensures that the Roux’s standards of excellence continue to spread around the globe – now and in the future. Since Andrew Fairlie won the Scholarship in 1984, winners have chosen three-month stages all around the world, with 2017 winner Luke Selby choosing Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo, and the 2018 winner Martin Carabott going to Eleven Madison Park in New York (turn to page 12 for details).
Read more at rouxscholarship.co.uk
Michel Snr’s son Alain (born 1968), becomes chef-patron of The Waterside Inn. In 2010, he marries Laura (see Lazy Sunday Afternoon, page 53), a former trainee at The Waterside, from Montpellier. Their children Paul and Louise are born in 2010 and 2014.
When Jennifer Wood founded her company, Canton, in 2007, it was a true kitchen start-up and deliveries were made by bike. Today she supplies her loose-leaf teas to many of Britain’s top restaurants, including The Waterside Inn. She shares her story…
For many years I was a copywriter at The Body Shop. I wrote about human rights, environmental issues, destruction of the rainforest, animal testing. And then I went freelance and found myself writing painfully dull brand communications for big corporates.
I needed a change and wanted to deal with an authentic product, preferably one with a fascinating history. By happy coincidence, my partner and I had been drinking a particular Taiwanese tea that a friend had been giving us for years – his family owned the tea farm. The tea was called Pouchong, a light oolong with lovely notes of honeysuckle. It
struck me that few people in the UK really appreciated tea as a gourmet product. This Pouchong was so delicious, and yet most people were forcing themselves to drink the only available terrible, bitter, cheap green tea. It gave me the idea for the business.
We spent a year visiting farms in China, learning and choosing the best teas on which to found our business, then in 2007 Canton burst into life. It was a wildly uncalculated risk. We had great
enthusiasm, but no experience of running a business. And we were in the midst of a huge recession. It’s good we had no idea what was ahead or we’d never have started.
It is a privilege to be part of an ancient culture: the Chinese have been cultivating tea for more than 4,000 years.
In the remote mountains of Yunnan (bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam) we walked far from any road and stayed with the tribal people. Their generosity is incredible. A girl we met gave my colleague Ali an elaborate waistcoat and insisted she keep it. Ali loved it and wore it to pick tea in the forest. But our Chinese buying partner pointed out that this had been the girl’s wedding waistcoat. Ali returned it to her.
The tea trees are absolutely huge, and around 800 years old. Having lived there for millennia, the native people have been given the exclusive rights to harvest them. Every day they wear the most beautiful, handembroidered clothes and climb ladders to reach the tender leaves at the very top.
These are used to make puerh teas, which can command a lot of money. The mentor to our tea buyer in China is a very old man and has many millions of pounds worth of tea, which he’s not particularly interested in selling. He cycles to the tea house every day on an old bike, wearing a simple cheongsam (shirt dress) and flip-flops, and he drinks tea – for 12 hours. He barely speaks but when he does everyone falls silent. He talks only about tea.
The three Ts of preparation are tea, temperature and time:
Tea: make sure you have the correct ratio of tea to water.
A traditional, black English Breakfast is about 3g to 250ml of water and infused only once. But if you’re infusing the leaves several times – as you would with many whole-leaf teas such as oolong – use more tea leaves, about 8g to 250ml, and do several quick infusions, pouring off all the liquor after each.
Temperature: green tea must be brewed cooler than black tea. About 75°C for a Chinese tea like Dragon Well (Long Jing) or even cooler, about 60°C for many Japanese teas, such as Sencha. If you brew these green teas with boiling water they’ll be quite bitter.
Black teas need hotter water to bring out their depth of flavour, but always just off the boil, at about 95°C.
If you don’t have a temperature-controlled kettle, try the ancient Chinese way and look at the size of the bubbles in the water: ‘shrimp eyes’ form at 70°C, ‘crab eyes’ at 80°C, ‘fish eyes’ at 85 to 90°C, and ‘string of pearls’ 95°C. ‘Raging torrent’ is a rolling boil and it’s too hot for tea. Just off the boil is good for herbals and black teas.
Time: don’t steep your leaves too long. Allow them to infuse to your desired level – usually just a few minutes – and then pour off all the tea liquor.
‘The mentor to our tea buyer in China is a very old man… he barely speaks but when he does everyone falls silent. He talks only about tea’
Kitchen
76-80 Furze Platt Road
Maidenhead, SL6 7NH 01628 777022
Appliance
2 St Peters Road
Maidenhead, SL6 7QU 01628 779022
A yacht excites the senses and soothes the soul. Move from quiet cove to sparkling city, your crew ready to turn wishes into reality, your personal chef creating unique culinary masterpieces morning, noon and night, on board or on the beach. With an Edmiston charter, the choice is always yours.
Yacht shown: SUNRAYS, 86m, Oceanco, 12 Guests
