Today’s Big Day Small Talk is with Chef Phil Thompson, Head Chef at The Auberge du Lac, the Michelin starred restaurant on the Brocket Hall Estate in Hertfordshire. You’ll see as you read that Phil laughs [a lot] hence the brackets.

Hi Phil, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk to you.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – where are you from?

I am the fourth child, born in Dagenham, and my dad worked at Fords. [My dad worked there too - I was born just up the road in East Ham] I left there when I was 19 or 20 to move to London. All my family are chefs – I used to wash up pots in my uncle’s restaurant, they gradually taught me how to blanch tomatoes, and things like that.  My mum was a cook in the canteens at Fords, my Nan used to run the canteens, my sister used to work there, so it’s inbred, in the blood! [Laughs]

Are you in the middle of a project now?

It’s The Auberge and Brocket Hall – they take over your life! I run the three kitchens on the estate, and it’s always seeing how far I can push myself, and push the boys in the kitchen. Every day is different [So it's an on-going project?] Yes, that’s right.

How long have you been in the business?

Phew! I’m trying to think how old I am now – 17 years

What do you love about your job?

I love the banter with the boys – I come in the morning and we do all the prep together – I do all the butchery and fish prep in the mornings, and at 33 I’m the old one in the kitchen! They’re all 19, 20, 21. It’s the atmosphere – if I take a couple of days off – I’ve just had a week, first time in years, – I miss it, the banter, the atmosphere. The adrenalin rush, the buzz you’d get from a service is wicked – it’s what you’d spend all day in the kitchen for – 18 hours to get that buzz.

There are many aspects to the job I love – I get up in the morning and I come through the beautiful estate to get here. I don’t think there are many people who can say that. I have three sisters, one of them works in a bank and she hates it, works 9-5 and she hates getting up in the morning and going to work. I don’t – I never have done.

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about being a successful chef?

Bringing on chefs, finding young chefs, there aren’t many kids that want to work as much as we do. [Despite all the TV programs about cooking?] Yes, Ready Steady Cook blinkers people about how hard the industry is. Jamie Oliver has done wonders for the industry, I love what he’s done and how he’s trying to get people to think about food. Heston makes it exciting – I enjoy watching him, he makes it fun.

The kids come from school or college, and I sit down with them and their parents and say ‘You’re going to work 16 -17 hours a day, you’re going to spend more time with me than your mum and dad. It’s hard for the the first 5 or 6 years, and if you show promise and you show you’re something special, then it’ll become easier and you’ll climb the ladder faster. It depends on what kind of chef you’re going to be, but you have to give up everything.’ So yes, the challenging aspect is trying to find people to nurture. I don’t care about their CV or where they’ve cooked. If they have ambition and drive and common sense, then I can teach them how to cook. You’ve got to want to do it first.

How important to you is having your Michelin Star?

It’s not the be all and end all [it's a great accolade though isn't it?] Yes it is – it catapults you on. It’s what you dream of, but it’s not what you cook for. I tell chefs ‘Don’t cook for a star, cook for your customers and cook for yourself. Don’t start by putting fancy things on the plate just because it’s controversial or different.’ We didn’t expect it – it took me six or seven years to get the star, and it’s the accumulation of being a chef for 16 or 17 years. As long as you’ve got a busy restaurant – it’s no good having a star if you’re cooking for three or four people, your restaurant has got to be busy. So I cook the things I like to eat, not because it looks nice and everyone’s doing what’s fashionable – it’s food, and people come to your restaurant to eat.

What do you think are the trends this year?

There are two trends – everyone’s going back to cooking, not using foams and gases and jellies. We’ve stopped using all the gimmicks here. You certainly want to try all the fashionable ideas, but you can get a bit lost – when you look at your menu and every dish has got a jelly on it, or a foam. I think everyone’s coming back to cooking – let’s braise it properly, let’s roast it properly, let’s use the best ingredients.

The other trend at the top end, what the two or three stars are doing the Noma [the restaurant Noma - awarded the best restaurant in the world] It’s packed out, left, right and centre. If you’re cooking fish, then you use the ingredients the fish is surrounded by. If you’re cooking meat, you use ingredients that the meat is surrounded by – herbs that are growing around that area. So it’s very technical. [I must remember that when I'm doing my spag bol later on] [Laughs.]

What has been your most memorable booking and why?

We have  a lot. But probably when I cooked for my mum for the first time. I’d been here four or five years, and she’d never eaten in any restaurant I’d ever worked in. That was one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! First time cooking for my mum, and she’s a very fussy eater. So it was a well done steak and chips, put it in the oven and forget about it [Laughs]
There are a lot of celebrities that come here – the Beckhams, for example, that was a high accolade. Ray Winstone came here by helicopter, so he did it properly! [Laughs] Cooking for chefs! My old bosses, Chris and Geoff Galvin – Geoff eats here once a month now, and for me that’s fantastic that he likes the food that I cook. I worked for Geoff for a long time. Chefs like Paul Gayler, Michel Roux – that was a high honour for me when he came to my restaurant and then came into my kitchen.  Cooking for chefs that have been there and done it is very nerve wracking [It's like me photographing photographers, I know exactly what you mean!] [Laughs.]

What do you think of the wedding industry at the moment and where do you see it in 5 years from now?

Yes, weddings are very important for us – it’s a big part of our business now. Any restaurant that can cater for weddings  can be successful. We’re lucky we have three sites here. Brocket Hall is the main one for weddings, the Golf Club has a wedding on every week. We do a lot of weddings here at Auberge du Lac on Sundays – we did 36 last year. So it doesn’t distract from our clientele. We’re not cancelling people who want to come for dinner, as weddings are booked on the days we’re not open as a restaurant. People love getting married here, and having a fantastic three course meal. As long as they trust us and let us do our job, we can make their day really enjoyable. But you do get the odd bride who’s quite stressful…[Laughs]

What was your most embarrassing moment?

I’ve had a few! When I was younger I was a commis chef, and I remember wheeling a hot trolley into a lift to go upstairs to a private party, and the lift not actually being there, and seeing the trolley fall down the lift-shaft! [Laughs a lot] That was a good one. You even make mistakes even when you’re trying to set an example – everyone’s human. [You're not going to give me any more details?] No no no… [Laughs]

A website and/or blog you like?

I look at Staff Canteen for finding chefs and keeping in touch. I’ve got to know a lot of chefs through that – it’s almost like Facebook for chefs. I look at other restaurants’ web sites to see what they’re doing, looking to see how the site is designed, and how interesting it is – some restaurants have a good gimmick which makes visiting the site an enjoyable experience.  Some are quite hard work!

What talent would you most like to have?

Cook! I’d love to be able to cook [Laughs a lot!]

If you were having fun, what would you be doing?

I’m a massive rugby fan, so I’d be at a rugby match. If I can get to a Wasps game or an England game on a day off, I’m happy. Having a few beers and watching the rugby, that’s good.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My mum.

Something that is overrated?

Caviar.

Your favourite film of all time?

It’s definitely a mood thing for me – ‘Shawshank Redemption’ is a great film. I love comedy, Dumb and Dumber for example. It depends on the mood.

A book you’ve enjoyed recently?

I’m a big fan of Dan Brown, I’ve just finished The Lost Symbol.

What ambition have you yet to achieve?

Taking a two week holiday! [Laughs] In the summer! [Laughs]

What would you say has been the main key to your success in your business?

Dedication to what I do, but also the support from my family. And the boys in the kitchen, I couldn’t have achieved what I’ve done (the Michelin Star and the three rosettes) without them. There are fourteen of us in the kitchen. About two hundred chefs have passed through my doors over the years, and I keep in touch with a lot of them. Many of them helped me to achieve what I’ve done, and I couldn’t have done it with out them.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to become professional and do what you do?

Be willing to give up everything – your social life, your friends, your personal life, for the first ten years, if you are serious about being a good chef and achieving what you want to achieve. You have to put everything else on the back burner, that’s what I’ve done – it’s hard, very hard.  I’ve missed watching my nieces and nephews growing up, I don’t see my mum and dad or my three sisters much. But I know they’re very proud of me and what I’ve achieved.

What is your most treasured possession?

Photos of me in Australia for the rugby World Cup in 2003, and a signed shirt from the Wasps boys . Little pictures from my nieces and nephews that they draw for me – I have them on my fridges at work.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To go round to my sisters, spending time with my six nieces and nephews, playing kitchens with them! [Laughs]

What would your superpower be?

To be invisible. The amount of questions I get all day every day – to be invisible and enjoy a cup of tea for five minutes! [Laughs]

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

Chris Galvin at the Orrery used to say to me, ‘If you’ve done something that you weren’t sure about, would you serve it to your mum? If the answer is no, then don’t put it on the plate.’

Your favourite indulgence?

Chocolate and a beer!  I’m marathon training at the moment, so there’s not a lot of that going on. Yes, a beer on a day off from work, and a bit of chocolate, while watching a film.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

I used to love playing sports when I was younger. I love watching professional rugby, I used to play rugby for school and county, so I’d love to have played rugby.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee

Cat or dog?

Dog

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

Still cooking at the bloody Auberge du Lac! [Laughs a lot!] Still getting nagged by my girlfriend for not taking enough time off!

If you had one wish…
If I had kids, to be healthy. Not much else.

The Auberge du Lac Restaurant

aubergeevents@brocket-hall.co.uk

Phil’s Facebook Page

Weddings I have shot at The Auberge du Lac include:

Jenni and Iri

Lizzie and Patrick

This image was taken in an area we often visit, Batchwood, on the edge of St Albans in Hertfordshire, while walking our dog. The view is looking south-west towards the Gorehambury Estate. I love the shape of the trees, and the slight softening you get at this time of year when the new leaf buds are starting to swell – the outline of the trees isn’t as stark as in the early winter.

My Image of the Week is a novel one for me – it was taken on my iPhone. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you.This is a good example of Hertfordshire photography – the almost flat landscape, rolling gently, big skies.

Making the photo was almost too easy – it would have taken me hours in a traditional darkroom. Having seen the shot, and knowing it would be a silhouette, I processed it with software I have on the phone, first converting it to black and white, then using filters to add grain and drama. Ta-daa! And if you’re thinking this is another nail in the coffin of photography, oh no, this is the beginning of  a whole new era of spontaneous creativity and image sharing. Bring it on!

My Image of the Week is one of my favourites from Amanda and Andrew‘s lovely wedding shot in a beautiful Cambridge college. As Hertfordshire wedding photographers, it’s always a pleasure to visit a new wedding venue. Amanda and Andrew are in love, completely comfortable with each other, and equally important, on this occasion anyway, completely comfortable in my presence.

As a contemporary wedding portrait, this was a gently directed image, and I wanted to show Amanda’s dress off, particularly the lacy bodice. I asked her to face away from Andrew but still to turn her head to him. I didn’t ask them to kiss, but one thing lead to another…

I love two things in particular about this image – her strong and graceful arm pulling him towards her, and his smooth head echoing the curved arches beyond. I like the openness of Amanda’s body, and the covered-ness of Andrew’s. Their heads are exactly two thirds of the way up the frame, and a little off-centre. I could have cropped more tightly on the right, but I felt that the final arch leading out of the image, on the right, frames the light which your eye is drawn to, so I kept it in. And I like the complete arch above their heads, again I didn’t want to crop into it.

A calm but strong image, quite architectural, and a lovely portrait which, of course, is included in their album.

For the photographers amongst you, this image was shot on my 24mm, f4.0, 1/40th second, ISO 400.

Image of the Week #9 – Family Portrait

My Image of the Week is a slight diversion from the norm. We were re-hanging some wall pictures at home, and came across this family portrait of Amanda’s grandpa, Bob, taken back in 1982. My camera at the time was a Nikon FM with my beloved 35mm prime lens, and my film of choice was Kodak Tri-X. I used to develop film myself then, and used D76 in a steel tank to process the rolls, then after drying I’d print the negatives through a De Vere enlarger, Nikon lens again, onto Agfa Brovira paper. How times have changed, and not for the worse – I used to hate darkroom work!

This image is a photograph of the original print, through glass, so please forgive the lack of crispness. I like the photo for all sorts of reasons, one of the most important being that this is an enduring record of a family member who has passed away. How valuable does a picture become when it represents the fond memory of someone? This is really why I love wedding and portrait photography – to create records of our loved ones’ lives.

I like the composition of the image. It was taken at Stanton Drew, an ancient stone circle monument, which Bob spent many happy years studying. Bob is framed about two thirds of the way across the image, and facing out, so the negative space behind him is filled with the powerful angle of the standing stone, pulling strongly in the opposite direction to his gaze.

Anchoring these two elements is the huge dark brooding tree behind, majestically framing Bob’s head and shoulders. I like the camera strap echoing the angle of the stone, and I like that his hands are in frame (tight here I know, but they’re in!) holding his notebook. The horizon cuts across the middle, unifying the upper and lower elements of the frame, and encouraging lateral movement – your eye moves around the image in a circle, leading from the face, left onto the diagonal stone, drawn up towards the black mass of the tree, and back down the figure. The shapes within the picture are a rectangle, a triangle and a circle – very elemental.

 If you’d like to arrange a family portrait session, do contact me.

The Bride, St Albans | Designer Wedding Dresses

Welcome to my latest Big Day Small Talk interview with the fabulous wedding professionals with whom I have the pleasure to work. This time it’s Polly Parkin, owner of The Bride, a beautiful bridal shop here in sunny St Albans specialising in designer wedding dresses.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – where are you from?
Well, I was born and bred in St Albans. I went to St Albans Girls school, and went off to Brighton University for my degree (my daughter’s there!) [Did you enjoy it?] I loved it – I did history of design, and I had a great time there. I then got a job as a trainee buyer at Next in Leicester, lived there for a few years, then moved to London and came back to St Albans – it felt like I was coming home.

Do you have a family?
I have a husband, Duane, and 2 children, my son Hector, 11, and Maisie, 9.

Are you in the middle of a project now?
My husband is building the first eco house in St Albans. He has designed it and is overseeing the build. (Duane Parkin www.livingspace3.co.uk)

Are you conscious of being eco friendly in your business?
Yes, as much as possible, although I am dubious of the amount of recycling done by the waste contractors that collect everything – it all seems to go into the same bins.

How long have you been in the wedding business?
8 years, with one and a half years to restore the building – it was derelict and open to the elements with pigeons in the roof. It is a very beautiful building and we’ve tried to restore it sympathetically and retain the original character.

What is it that you love about your job?
I love seeing these beautiful brides going up the aisle looking the best they possibly can. As soon as they walk through the door here, we will do the absolute best for them, we will give them a dress that fits them like a glove. I really enjoy working with people who may be petite, or really tall, or a little bit different, and we will send them up the aisle looking a million dollars, whoever they are. It’s an absolute pleasure every time. We get lovely feedback from our brides which is so so nice.

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about selling wed dress?
Everybody is so driven by price. I think sadly people have taken their eyes off the service side of retail, which is what we are so good at delivering. They are focussing much more on whether they can get a bit off or rather than actually thinking about a lovely experience with the best possible service, and for the whole thing to be an absolute pleasure. We are selling a promise that you will look amazing on your wedding day, and that’s very valuable. It’s hard not to sound false when you’re trying to convince people of your good service.

What do you think are the trends this year?
Lace, we have Kate Middleton to thank for that – she’s reinforced the trend for lace, definitely long sleeves in lace. There is also a move away from the strapless look towards sleeves and straps. I think so many brides have seen ill-fitting dresses, they’re now wary of strapless styles.

What has been your most memorable booking and why?
There are so many!

What do you think of the wedding industry at the moment and where do you see it in 5 years from now?
I think the next five years are going to be good. Inevitably shops are going , shutting down left right and centre, wedding dress shops too. I think people will have to pull their socks up and make their businesses work as hard as they can. The weaker stockists and labels will disappear. People will expect value for money, but also quality and good design – the want something GOOD!

What was your most embarrassing moment?
We have lots! Well, way back during our first year, someone came to pick up the dress, we stupidly gave them the wrong dress, and they were heading up the M1 before we realised! It never happened again! Systems take many months to organise we are a very slick and fine-tuned machine now! When we first opened we didn’t realise these things could possibly happen!

A website and/or blog you like?
I am an avid follower of all my designers’ web sites, blogs and tweets. It keeps me posted – for example Suzanne Neville is doing something exciting on TV every week at the moment, or with a celebrity, and it’s important for us to be able to say to our brides ‘did you see Tess Daly’s dress?’, or tell them that a celebrity was wearing a Stephanie Allin.

What talent would you most like to have?
I’d love to be able to sew like our seamstress can – it’s an amazing skill, she just has such finesse,

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband of course! And my children! And I do love my work, I have to admit!

Something that is overrated?
Designer days – I used to love them, when designers came to the shop, and spend the day with us. Sadly it’s become a discount day in a lot of shops, rather than a designer day. We don’t have discounts on Designer Days, that isn’t the point – you get to meet the designer, they’ll measure you and offer style and design advice, and you’ll have a lovely experience with them. So it frustrates me that it’s turned into a discount day and people are not interested in meeting the designer. [Surely you should charge more for a designer fitting - it should have a premium on it!] Yes! We’ve got Sassi Holford in on the 4th February, which we’re really looking forward to – she’s lovely, very bubbly and full of energy. She’s elegant, stylish, classic – the brides love her.

Your favourite film of all time?
Raising Arizona. I love art house movies, we go through phases of Japanese films, or Spanish films and we love Campus West over at Welwyn, where there is an amazing International film club.

A book you’ve enjoyed recently?
I’ve been in a book club at Maple School since my son was in reception. We’ve read hundreds of books over the years. I’m currently reading ‘The Help’, which is amazing. Favourite book of all time? Probably ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, for nostalgic reasons.

What ambition have you yet to achieve?
My ambition I’ve yet to achieve is finding my home. We move around a great deal, my husband and I, we’ve moved sooo many times. My ambition is to have a house that I can stay in. Even ten years would be lovely.

What would you say has been the main key to your success in your business?
We are very thorough here – it’s somebody’s wedding dress, we don’t leave anything to chance. We are on to everything, super organised, and pay attention to every last detail to ensure everything is perfect. Our brides pay a lot of money for a beautiful dress and they should get nothing less than perfection. It is our attention to detail that has made all the difference. We work very hard – I have a fantastic team here, there are eight of us altogether, six in attendance on Saturdays! I have amazing loyalty from my staff, they have all been with me for many years.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to become professional and do what you do?
Make sure you take on the best supply base you can, because your business is only as good as your dresses. You need to be somewhere where you’ll definitely get footfall, although we are a destination, so not as crucial for us here. And you need a good team with you.

Three tips for brides?
We make sure they have the right silhouette for them, the right neckline is absolutely critical, as that’s the bit every body notices, and trust us that it will fit beautifully. It’s leap of faith sometimes, as all the dresses here are a size 12, so they have to imagine it fitting them perfectly. They need to choose the right fabric, the right neckline and the right silhouette. Some people will suit shiny fabric, some will suit matt fabric – that’s the level of detail we look at here.

What is your most treasured possession?
Difficult question, hmmm, nothing springs to mind. I have many things from my childhood, my Steiff teddy, for example. My husband and I have been together for 25 years now, and we buy classic things and keep them forever. I love all my things!

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
It would be to have a week where I don’t have to think about anything at all. A summer holiday! I can’t imagine going away for two weeks – that would be an absolute dream. I don’t think that’s going to happen in the next decade! That would be my dream, a two week switch-off! (Laughs!)

What would your superpower be?
To be able to cure people – healing.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try?
(Loooong pause…) [Jumping out of a plane, climbing a mountain, bungee jumping, he says helpfully] NO! I’m not very adventurous. I tried snorkelling and loved it. I’d like to go to the Caribbean, I imagine it’s very beautiful. I’ve no desire to jump out of an aeroplane or anything along those lines, I’m quite cautious actually. I’d love to try some amazing restaurants, I’m a real foodie – every week a new restaurant, that would be great.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
We sought a lot of advice from our suppliers when we opened. Sassy Holford advised us to give brides their privacy when trying on dresses. When we designed our dressing areas, we gave each bride a lot of space, and also privacy – no-one wants to be stripped bare in front of everybody, so we offer a lot of discretion. They are very safe in here, there’s a locked door at the front. [There's nothing worse than trying on clothes when someone pokes their head round the curtain and says 'how're you getting on?'] Yes, our brides feel very secure in here, however self-conscious they feel.

Your favourite indulgence?
I love dark chocolate – my son always buys me for birthdays, or Christmas, or any excuse really, a box from Hotel Chocolat

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
I’d probably still be in retail buying. I still have a lot of friends who buy for big high street names. I also bought for Daisy and Tom in their day, Tim Waterstone’s venture, which I really enjoyed.

Tea or coffee?
Both – tea in the early morning, coffee mid-morning, tea in the afternoon, decaff coffee in the evening.

Cat or dog?
Neither.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Hopefully still here – we plan to make this business stand the test of time. We are always adapting and moving forwards constantly so we stay fresh.

If you had one wish…
I wish for a two week holiday!

Thank you so much for taking time out to chat this morning, Polly, it’s been an absolute pleasure.

www.the-bride.co.uk

mydress@the-bride.co.uk

My latest Image of the Week comes from Laura and Jon’s wedding. It’s the perfect caught moment, using documentary wedding photography as it was meant to be used – recording the moment as it happens, dynamically and spontaneously, without prompting or intervention. The mums and guests are just outside the church as the couple come out – there is confetti in the air, and everyone is smiling. Jon turns to kiss Laura, he’s still mid-step, she’s a little surprised, but loves the moment, and the guests enjoy the love displayed.

There is a gentle arc in the composition – your eye reads the image from left to right, rising with the bright veil, caught in sunlight, across their faces, and gently down through the activity on the right. The couple’s faces are two thirds up within the frame, Jon is central but leaning to the left, balancing the open dark archway with the busy mums on the right.

The image was made with a 20mm lens, set at 640th second at f4.0, ISO at 250. As always I’d love to hear your comments!