Monarch of the Glen
Chewton Glen's Pierre Chevillard had the daunting task of hosting the Hotelier of the Year 2001 lunch for his industry colleagues. Joanna Wood talked to the Frenchman about the inspiration behind his menu.
In his 19-year tenure as head chef at Chewton Glen in the New Forest, Pierre Chevillard has cooked for many important industry functions. However, that doesn't make him blas‚ about hosting the lunch, which took place yesterday, to honour Karen Earp as Hotelier of the Year.
"When you have the privilege of serving food to your peers you cannot afford to rest on your laurels," he admitted with a smile, and added: "Knowing that a lot of your industry colleagues are going to eat the lunch makes you want to ensure that everything is right."
Chevillard joined the renowned country house hotel in 1979 as a 21-year-old chef de partie under the then head chef Christian Delteil. He drew up a three-course menu for the Caterer-organised event, incorporating dishes familiar to his 21-strong brigade and centring on a main course using locally caught partridge.
"We use a specialist game supplier - SW Pickles & Son in New Milton - and the quality is excellent," explained Chevillard. The dish used both the thigh and breast of the bird together with a farce made from additional partridge meat. Extra depth of flavour and texture was created by serving the bird with saut‚d cèpes, roasted root vegetables (cooked in the oven with a little duck fat), a foie gras-topped crouton, and potato confit. A brandy jus, picking up on a touch of the liquor used in the farce, drew the elements together.
Chevillard gave his diners an intense flavour of the woods with his main course, but his starter reflected the proximity of the sea - the Solent is a mere half-mile down the road. The terrine of sole and scallops served with a leek purée and truffle oil was an ideal dish for a banqueting menu, being easy to prepare ahead of time. "It presented very well. Leeks and shellfish are a classic combination and the truffle oil gave the dish a touch of luxury," Chevillard said.
It was down to the woods again for the dessert, which recreated an autumn scene of mushrooms and fallen leaves - made out of chestnut parfait, tuiles and chocolate. The dish was originally created a decade ago by Chewton Glen's pastry chef Romain Barre, to tie in with a menu drawn up for one of the hotel's mushroom hunts staged for its guests in the New Forest.
"It's a bit gimmicky, I suppose, but it reflects where we are. It gave everyone an ambience of the forest," Chevillard said. He continued: "I'm happy with the balance of the menu. We used some rich produce such as foie gras and truffle oil, but we stopped it being heavy by using, for example, a light mousse to bind the terrine. I knew everything worked because we've done the dishes before. That's important, because doing a lunch like this certainly keeps you on your toes!"
That Chevillard was confident about the abilities of his team to pull off a perfect meal for industry guests is not surprising. The hotel averages, he estimated, one function a day, varying from 10 to 120 covers. Practice, he admitted, makes perfect. "It's good not to have massive banquets," he pondered, "that way, you have the challenge without losing the creativity. If you have more than 150 covers then dish choice becomes limited - you have to get simpler as the numbers get bigger."
Inspiration for dishes and menu construction came from Chevillard's own experience. He spent a formative 16 months at France's renowned three-Michelin-starred Troisgros in his home town of Roanne, before chancing his luck in England. Another source of ideas was his vast collection of cookery books. He has, he estimated, about 600 books, including Larousse dictionaries and Mrs Beeton's seminal Victorian cookbook.
"Being French, I missed out on the traditional English dishes, so to go back to Mrs Beeton to see how they were made before chefs such as Gary Rhodes adapted them has opened my eyes," he explained.
Despite his curiosity about traditional English cuisine, Chevillard's cooking remains classically French. Early lessons learnt about sauces (always fresh and à la minute) and the importance of presentation still form the foundation of his dishes today. But he has no desire to return to the country of his birth to live.
"Where would I go after being at a big place like this for so long?" he asked. "I am comfortable with my lifestyle here. I have learnt my craft and grown up here. The only thing that I miss about France is the markets. You don't see the same in England. What I like about England, too, is that you have so many influences from Asian countries. In France, you don't get that. It's less open. The day you stop learning is the time to quit."
Hotelier of the Year 2001 luncheon
Taittinger NV Brut Reserve
Terrine of sole and scallops served on a purée of leeks with truffle oil
Louis Jadot St Aubin 1er cru "Murgers des Dents de Chien" 1997
Partridge filled with cèpes, served on a foie gras crouton, with roasted vegetables, potato confit, brandy jus
Louis Jadot Moulin a Vent "Grand Clos des Rochegres", Château des Jacques 1996
New Forest dessert with home-made chestnut ice-cream and a pear and chocolate sauce
Err zuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 1999
Coffee and petits fours
