Review: Giles livens up Downs pub 05 January, 2008
Six months ago The Earl of March, Lavant’s sole remaining pub overlooking the Downs, was in a pretty poor state, the Grade II listed pub serving Brake frozen food to dwindling clientele.
The business was in dire need of some creative energy. Enter Giles Thompson, past executive head chef of the Ritz, on the lookout for a pub he could put his stamp on, having just moved into the area with his family.
‘It was a pub without a soul or a feeling, a blank canvas,’ Giles recalls.
The chef, with 20 years of experience at top London hotels, was nevertheless undaunted by the state of the building and its customers.
‘Within 24 hours the frozen roly-poly went out and, with the existing team, we had created 4 fresh starters, main courses and desserts with specials on the blackboard.’
What else would you expect of a chef who had run the Ritz hotel’s restaurant with 50 chefs and had worked for Michel Bourdin, legendary head chef at the Connaught Hotel?
Before spending nine years at the Connaught, five as sous chef and a further five years as the Ritz head chef, Giles worked on board the Aston Martin designer David Browns yacht in the south of France.
But Giles, Huddersfield Technical College-trained, is quick to point out that the food he and his three chefs create for the 60-cover pub is far removed from the expensive dishes he cooked at these flagship hotels.
‘I am very conscious of being British and cooking simple, fresh, regional food.’
Earthy dishes, like lamb shank in red wine with mustard mash and beer-battered haddock with handcut chips meet up with a superlative wild game terrine with fig chutney and crab and ginger bisque for starters.
Even sandwiches, albeit in the modern mode – paninis, baguettes and ciabatta – overflow with ham and cheddar cheese and salami, rocket and Parmesan.
‘We’re a pub.’ Quite, Giles. The fire and beer also prove it.
Giles chooses full carcasses to butcher and the local shoot brings partridge, pheasant and pigeon which were being plucked by hand when I visited the kitchens, revealing fabulous lean meat.
Giles is also keen on finding the best local, regional cheeses and other produce’ to champion local suppliers.
