Devonshire cream?
Michael Wignall has always loved a challenge. His latest adventure began in May: he is turning the kitchen and menu of the Burlington restaurant at the Devonshire Arms, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire, upside down in his bid to win the hotel the food recognition that its managing director, Jeremy Rata, believes it deserves.
Wignall, who held a Michelin star at Michael's Nook, Grasmere, Cumbria, for four years until the restaurant closed its doors in April, is confident he will be able to deliver. It will not, however, come without hard work.
As is so often the case when a new chef takes over a kitchen, Wignall's arrival signalled the departure of several of the Devonshire's existing kitchen staff - which means that for much of the year Wignall has been working with a team well short of his required 12-strong brigade.
Luckily, two of his former team from Michael's Nook - sous chef Chris Kemp and senior chef de partie Andrew Parker - followed Wignall to the Dales. And another ex-colleague, Phillip Phillips, who was Wignall's sous chef at Cliveden's one-Michelin-starred Waldo's, is also on board, running the pastry section.
In his first week on the job, Wignall completely revamped the Devonshire's dessert menu. The choices now reflect his modern French culinary style and include savarin of strawberries on a Kirsch sabayon, tarte tatin of baby pineapple with vanilla ice-cream and warm bitter chocolate fondant with Agen prune ice-cream.
He has also drawn up a cheese menu with 12 varieties, including French cheeses such as Gaperon, Selle Sur Cher and Pont L'Eveque alongside local offerings such as Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire and Swaledale Ewe. Unusually, the diner selects five or six and the cheese is then cut and plated in the kitchen with fruit and biscuits.
"I like the idea because for me it works better than a cheeseboard sitting out in the restaurant," says Devonshire's general manager, Stuart Procter. "The cheeseboard looks good at the beginning of the evening, but by the end, it doesn't appear very appetising. This way gives the customer choice, and looks clean and tidy as well."
Another Wignall idea was to increase the petits fours being made by the kitchen from two to 12. "I don't think it makes a difference to Michelin, but I do think it shows your skill level," he says.
Daily tweaks
As a general rule, Wignall tweaks the menu on a daily basis. Typical dishes might be assiette of magret duck and foie gras, fricassée of frogs' legs and girolles and halibut with sauce oriental and seared foie gras among the starter offerings; while mains could include roast veal kidneys with confit vegetables with jus Xérès, loin of venison with black pudding ravioli and choucroute and turbot with a soft olive crumb and velout‚ of smoked salmon.
Since taking over, Wignall has increased the cost of the three-course menu from £42.50 to £45 and reduced the portion size of the main course in order to provide a less weighty meal. Now, diners have a more balanced three courses (or five if you include the amuse-bouche and pre-dessert) which don't overwhelm their stomachs even if they tack on a cheese course (an additional £6.50).
As you might expect, the adjustment has taken some selling to the Yorkshire audience, which initially complained about the decreased portion sizes. The change, though, was backed by both Rata and Procter and now Wignall says the portion complaints have all but stopped.
The volume of food being cooked in the kitchen has concerned Wignall, however. "The more people you cook for, the more you need in the kitchen to maintain the standards. I've done 70 covers here, while at Michael's Nook it was 38-40 and there was only room for two plates on the pass. Here the kitchen is massive, too big for just serving one restaurant," he muses.
And serving one restaurant is all that is required of Wignall. A breakfast chef is being recruited, who will also deal with afternoon teas. Because the hotel also has the Devonshire Brasserie offering more simple, casual food, the Burlington opens only for dinner - except on Sunday when it does do lunch, but not roasts. "I haven't cooked a roast since college and I hate them," Wignall confesses. Instead, he offers Burlington's Sunday lunchers a simplified version of his evening meal, for £19.50.
Wignall's culinary career kicked off with three years at Preston College and encompassed stints working with Paul Heathcote when he was at Broughton Park and then at Heathcote's Longridge restaurant in its early days. Wignall admired and learned from Heathcote and credits him as a great businessman, as well as being PR-savvy. Spells with Marco Pierre White at Harvey's in Wandsworth, London, and with John Burton-Race at L'Ortolon, Berkshire, served to increase Wignall's culinary pedigree.
While he does not claim to hold any one chef up as a mentor or hero, Wignall believes all those holding Michelin stars deserve admiration. "I think you get influences from everyone and everywhere, and anyone who says they don't is lying. But in the end it's your own artistic style that makes food yours," he says. "Everyone does their own thing - look at Heston [Blumenthal]. Not everyone can do the same as him but I like that diversity."
In 1996 Wignall went to Cliveden as a sous chef in the main kitchen under Ron Maxfield. He was appointed head chef of Waldo's and stayed until 1998, when he heard there was to be a vacancy at Michael's Nook. "I enjoyed Michael's Nook while I was there - Reg Gifford is Reg Gifford. I got on with him OK - I guess we're both as stubborn as each other," Wignall says, smiling.
However, not all is rosy with his former employer, following an out-of-court settlement over disputed redundancy pay and days in lieu. Wignall's departure has left a sour taste: he says he was given very little notice that Gifford was planning to close Michael's Nook.
Older, wiser and more savvy in what to look for in an employer, this time Wignall looked for someone investing in their property. "Some people think you pay a chef a lot of money and you get big results, but you have to have the front of house too," he observes.
At the Devonshire Arms, profits have meant there is money to spend and in the past 18 months £400,000 has gone on refurbishing bedrooms and public lounges. Another £100,000 is to be spent on the Burlington restaurant as well as the kitchen of the Devonshire brasserie.
Wignall is focused on achieving Michelin stars and AA rosettes and Rata recognises the financial benefits of such accolades, as well as the boost it gives team morale. "We need to sell bedrooms, and we knew that our food was an issue," Rata says. "Our occupancy is about 64-65% and I believe that having a chef of Michael's calibre here can raise that occupancy 1% next year and another 1% the year after. That translates to £25,000 straight on to the bottom line."
That may be Rata's long-term goal, but Wignall knows where his challenge lies.
"We want a star for this place. To have come from one star and four rosettes to two rosettes and doing more covers and other things as well, that is a massive challenge," he says.
While he is realistic it may not happen this year, he is quietly confident he has the ability to achieve his goal. And it is his self-determination that will exert the greatest pressure on Wignall to deliver his best performances consistently and win recognition from the critics and inspectors.
Michael Wignall on Michael Wignall…
What is your least-favourite ingredient?
Couscous, polenta, Yorkshire puddings.
What is your favourite ingredient?
I don't have one - as long as it is good quality I'll use it.
What ingredient would you take to a desert island?
Beer making kit - and I'd live on coconuts, even though I don't like them much
What equipment would you take to a desert island?
Nothing to do with food - does a young Thai woman count?
Are you interested in wine? Yes I'm a bit of a white Burgundy snob, but I do like some New World stuff - from the Napa Valley in California, for example.
Do you think children should be encouraged to eat in quality food establishments? Yes. I have a four-year old, Matthew, and I took him to Hambledon Hall recently. I think it is good that decent places encourage children - we have to educate them. Of course, they have to be well-behaved.
Do you have a long-term ambition?
Possibly to do my own thing is next on my list.
Assiette of smoked salmon (serves six)
Sauté of rabbit and risotto of truffle with pea velout‚ (serves four)
