THOMPSON St Albans has reached its 10th birthday, a decade full of acclaim and accolades. We meet the the man behind it all, Phil Thompson
How does it feel to reach 10 years of THOMPSON St Albans?
I can’t believe we made 10 years, especially with how hard the past three years have been. I sincerely thank our guests for their support and our truly amazing team, and my fiancée, Marianne, for all her work behind the scenes – she’s the rock of the business and the reason we are still here.
Before opening, what were you doing?
Prior to opening THOMSPON St Albans, I was executive chef at the Brocket Hall Estate, including the Auberge du Lac where I’d been for 12 years. Before that I was lucky enough to have worked with some of the best chefs in top UK restaurants and hotels in the UK such as the Lanesborough and L’Escargot, both in London. Marianne grew up on a farm so is used to looking after everyone and everything, with a career in corporate sales and worked two ski seasons in Tignes in France and a summer in Porto Heil in Greece with Neilson Active Sports.
What inspired the opening of THOMPSON St Albans?
It got to the point where I wanted to work for myself and Marianne was pushing for this so we could spend more time together, which in actual fact has only become a reality in the last few years. She wrote a business plan and started looking for restaurants. Once we met founder Ruth Hurren, who told us the story of Kate D’Arcy and how she would be honoured for us to take on the restaurant, we were determined to go for it. It’s a great building and location, and St Albans is such a wonderful city with so much to offer; history, museums, arts, festivals and a lively town centre with a variety of culinary delights, pubs, bars and cocktails – something to suit all tastes.
What did you want to offer from day one?
Originally, I wanted to have a brassiere-style restaurant, but when we opened, we discovered that it wasn’t what our guests wanted or expected, so we adapted quickly, which as a small independent is something we able to do with great ease.
Have you evolved in any way over the past decade?
We have evolved year by year, we call it ‘the next chapter of THOMPSON St Albans’. It’s taken a long time to get to where we are and what we wanted to do. Our head chef, Adrian Lomas, with his first baby due in September this year, is young, keen and full of energy and ideas. We have developed the menu through the years and have ambitions for the future. Ade loves a flower and a local forage, so watch out anyone who has wisteria, as Ade wants to use flowers in our dishes! We actually have some in our garden, but I am not brave enough to pick them, even though Ade told me to do it in secret. We did seven days a week for the first three years, but it became too much for me and the team, so each year we have changed the opening times, to offer the team a greater work/life balance.
How would you sum up your own cooking?
My food is driven by the seasons and our amazing suppliers that bring us beautiful produce. Then there is my fathers-in-law’s allotment, with vegetables picked and on the plate within three hours. The chefs constantly ask, ‘How big is this allotment?’, amazed by the volumes we receive. He loves a challenge and grows all kinds of abstract fruits and vegetables, from seeds I have bought or his own research. It’s a passion and hobby for him, a labour of love. Marianne says his seedlings get more love than she and his granddaughter do!
How do you approach the menus?
Talking to the suppliers is key; they guide me as to what is good at the market. Then it’s a case of using the knowledge I have gained over the past nearly 30 years, working with some amazing, talented chefs that taught me about seasonal produce, flavour combinations, textures and tastes. This is my starting point and then the creativity goes wild, which is my favourite part of having my own restaurant – the complete freedom to create any dish I want to with no boundaries. I love to see my chefs learning this from me and share in the passion and excitement of this wonderful way of life; it’s so much more than just a job – doing what you love every day is just the best feeling.
Do you use local produce where possible?
There are a lot of Hertfordshire suppliers we use including Sparshott Fruiterers, Mrs Middleton’s Rapeseed oil, Immature Garden for micro herbs, cresses as well as my father-in-law’s allotment, but my number one criteria for any produce we use is that it has to be the best and with the most flavour.
What’s the idea behind the tasting menus?
The tasting menus allow us to combine flavour and technique into smaller plates of food, meaning more courses and greater variety for our guests. These menus are all about the ‘wow factor’ and giving our guests a different experience, tasting ingredients they wouldn’t necessarily go for on an à la carte menu, knowing it will be 1 of 7 or 9 courses. I feel our guests enter new realms of gastronomy which they may otherwise shy away from. I hope our guests enjoy eating it as much as we enjoy cooking and creating these dishes!
What for you are some of the big dishes we can enjoy this summer?
When it comes to the summer season you can’t beat an English strawberry; then there’s ingredients like gooseberries, raspberries, tomatoes, elderflower, peas… I could go on forever – all these scream delicious, light and fresh, which is what we all want in the hotter summer months.
How does it feel to have 3 AA Rosettes?
To get the third Rosette was amazing, which I held previously at Brocket Hall along with my Michelin star, but to hold this wonderful accolade in our own restaurant is a celebrated achievement. This could only be attained with our hardworking, capable and driven team, who push forward the standards of the restaurant constantly, as we look to evolve and better ourselves.
Does that recognition add a degree of pressure?
Guest expectation goes hand-in-hand with accolades; however, the pressure we put on ourselves to exceed expectations of our guests is paramount.
You have won plenty of other awards. How does that make you feel?
Awards are gratefully received and always give us a boost. It’s great to share the news with our team, who are very proud to work here and of all we achieve together.
How do you see the future of THOMPSON St Albans evolving?
As we all know it’s been a tough few years for many of us in a variety of industries, including hospitality. There’s a lot we want to do, and a variety of changes we’d still like to make – we are an ambitious bunch!
