|
His superb cooking has earned him an international reputation for
innovation, expertise and flair. The critics have hailed him as the
‘Cerebral Chef’ and the guides have recognised him as one of
Britain’s most excellent and talented chefs. Meet John Campbell,
Executive Chef of The Vineyard at Stockcross.
“Sometimes you have a great kitchen, sometimes a great restaurant,
but this is the first time I have had both,” says Chef John Campbell
who joined the hotel just over two years ago from Lords of the Manor
(in Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire).
In this short time he has helped add to the hotel’s already large
portfolio of awards and accolades – all proudly on display going up
the staircase in the reception area.
A fourth rosette, elevation to 8/10 in the Good Food Guide,
retaining the restaurant’s Michelin star and an award of Square
Meal’s Best Out of Town Restaurant is certainly no mean feat for a
chef who left school without any qualifications.
In his haste to become a chef he left school at 15 and started work
in a kitchen in his home town of Liverpool. Working at various
hotels for five years, he was awarded a scholarship with Forte
hotels and travelled the world.
As his experience and knowledge grew he progressed to larger and
more established restaurants.
“I never worked with a Michelin star chef and I never worked with
anyone famous – I just tried to develop my own food style,” he says.
Asked how he would describe his food style now, he hesitates to
think. It is apparent from the start of this interview that John
Campbell is a great thinker, a serious man – not just a cook.
“Individualistic,” he says after a poise. “Over the last year when I
have eaten out I have experienced palate fatigue. The food has all
too often been very heavy and overfaced and my aim is not to do
that. I offer lighter, individual flavours that are allowed to be
moved around allowing people to feel satisfied.”
Unusual combinations of flavours that are said to often tease the
palate are what John is best known for. He is renowned for his
unusual ice-creams. For example, parsnip with chocolate fondant – a
very popular dessert.
“Classicism. I adopt classic combinations that have been subjected
to modern innovative thinking. We offer the diner a very individual
style of food,” says John.
I ask for an example.
“Beetroot and Fourme d’ambert. Cheese and pickle, “he beams.
But this is hardly a slice of cheese and smear of pickle between two
slices of white bread. No, this is a delicious beignet of
unpasteurised classic artisnal cheese. It affords a deep crisp outer
followed by a soft decadent inside. The deep red beetroot sorbet
cuts through the richness of the cheese – a truly amazing
combination of flavours.
But he is quick to emphasise that his food style is not stagnant but
always evolving. It is clear this man is striving for excellence and
is not prepared to fall short of just that.
Being a 5-star hotel with 49 bedrooms and a spa it is a 24-hour
operation. As well as the 21 dishes on the á la carte, the daily
market menu and tasting menu, John is also responsible for
breakfast, 24-hour room service, afternoon tea, private dining for
up to 100 and a dedicated menu for the spa.
“It just gets better and better. It has taken two and a half years
to build the foundation for me to progress the food development,
“says John, who admits he goes to the ends of the earth to source
the right ingredients, adding: “I aim to offer the country’s best
food driven not by accolades but by the market place. It is
accessible to all sectors,”
Most good chefs might wonder merely how many vanilla pods to put in
custard. John compares the relative merits of Madagascan and
Tahitian vanillas. The single bean chocolate comes from Venezuela
where it was grown next to fruit trees and as a result has a unique
fruity edge to it.
Slightly confused, I begin to wonder if a second and third Michelin
star are not so important to him as I had first thought.
As is true of all culinary artists John believes that the ultimate
title is three Michelin stars.
“But that is not only down to the food but the service and the
property. We all need to be talking the same language, “he explains,
adding: “Three stars would be the rubber stamp, the ultimate
accolade which I think is more than achievable. But it’s an unknown
enigma. A paradox of food and service. Heston (Blumenthal of The Fat
Duck at Bray) got his in five years whilst Michelle Bras had to wait
17 – I have been at one star now for eight years which is a long
time.”
It seems simple, but he believes he can achieve this ultimate goal
with the right team and focus, both in the kitchen and in the
restaurant, as well as consistent food and some Campbell uniqueness
as well for good measure.
“We have very knowledgeable staff who understand the food and in
what is a potential formal dining experience, this is very rare.
“There is a harmonious relationship between the kitchen and
restaurant – we are not delivering two products, just one. They
taste, they see; we are part of one team but with strict training,”
says John who works alongside Cathal Lynch, Restaurant Manager, who
has recently joined The Vineyard from The Ritz, and Food Services
Manager, Peter de Montfort.
The words ‘theatre’ and ‘dining experience’ are used in abundance
during our conversation. The friendliness of the staff and
characters among the managers all play a part in a diner’s visit to
the restaurant. Each course is announced and explained as is the
wine, which pays a large part as well.
Director of Wine, Edoardo Amadi, has been given a free reign to
create one of the widest and most innovative lists in the country –
featuring more than 2,000 bins 800 are just from Californian
including those from the Peter Michael Winery.
Back behind the scenes, John leads a brigade of 15 chefs in what is
arguably the best kitchen in Europe. The gleaming stainless steel
expanse of work services and cookers go on and on and are only cut
short by the ring of eight huge walk-in fridges that surround the
heart of the kitchen. There is a separate kitchen within the kitchen
used for pastry and a unique chocolate room too purely for creating
the delicate petits fours served in the restaurant.
“My team is dedicated and focused. My chefs don’t necessarily need
to have a Michelin background but this has evolved over the last few
years and most of the team are from two or three star restaurants,”
says John.
John Campbell obviously has a very logical approach. He talks of a
critical path – his future is documented along the way.
“Everything has a system. There is a system for how to serve tea and
coffee. We have dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s. No stone is left
unturned,” he says, adding:” I would not risk my reputation on a
whim. It has to be tried and tested and then documented.”
John admits that currently things are competitive in the restaurant
business. The celebrity chef bubble has no sign of bursting just
yet, but John isn’t hungry for the television limelight despite
receiving several offers.
“Look at Delia (Smith) and Gary (Rhodes). They were good cooks,
presented well. But in the latter years Gary has become more of an
entertainer. In the early days we had stiff, generic, plain
presenters but latterly the presentation of food programmes is more
entertainment to suit the market place, which is very good because
that is what the market wants. However, once these entertainers are
classified as serious cooks or industry leaders the waters become
muddied,” says John who believes this has caused a more serious
effect.
He adds: “Youngsters in the industry look up to TV chefs as industry
icons and mimic their style. But this is a relaxed and informal
approach which is bad because we are a professional industry and we
need to act professionally. TV chefs are there for home cooks not
professional chefs.”
Like most chefs at the top of the culinary tree there is an air of
determined arrogance about John Campbell, but you have to admire him
for his achievements and his ambition – he has packed a lot in to
his 35 years. But something tells me there is a lot more to come –
although he will, by his own ambition, not be the next Jamie Oliver.
“I am a cook not an entertainer. When the music of gastronomy stops,
I will have a chair to sit on!” he says.
John Campbell is the author of Formulas For Flavour published by
Conran Octopus priced £20.
Readers of Broughtons Magazine are invited to a luxury stay at
The Vineyard at Stockcross.
This exclusive two-night couple’s break is priced at £599 and
includes two nights in an Atrium Suite, dinner on both nights cooked
by John Campbell, breakfast as well as one spa treatment per person.
Treatments include either a Vineyard Facial, Back, Neck and Shoulder
Massage, Body Polish or Hydrobath.
This offer is valid subject to availability until 31 August 2004 and
based on two people sharing a room.
The Vineyard at Stockcross
Newbury
Berkshire
RG20 8JU
Tel: 01635 528770
Fax: 01635 528398
E-mail:
general@the-vineyard.co.uk
Website:
www.the-vineyard.co.uk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
