Murchison tackles gastropub project
Former L'Ortolan and Chewton Glen chef Alan Murchison will be making a return to the kitchen later this year in two separate projects.
Murchison, who worked at L'Ortolan in Shinfield, Berkshire, for two years before joining Chewton Glen for a brief period at the end of last year, has been employed by businesswoman Louisa Dickson as a consultant. Dickson is transforming the Running Horse pub in Littleton, Hampshire, into a 50-seat gastropub.
As well as helping with recruitment and menu planning, Murchison will be behind the stoves and fine-tuning the brigade. The Running Horse will open at the end of March after a 16-week refurbishment.
"It will be simple - French and English classic food done well," said Murchison, who prior to joining L'Ortolan was chef-director of Raymond Blanc's L'Ecole de Cuisine at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Great Milton, Oxfordshire. Three courses will cost about £22.
In a separate venture, Murchison, who does not have a financial stake in the Running Horse, said that he planned to open his own fine-dining operation before the end of the year. He anticipates opening somewhere in the South of England. "I have the financial backing in place, have already put in offers on properties, and am still looking at others," he said.
"Fine dining is what turns me on, it's where my heart is, but it can be difficult to make a lot of money out of it," he added. He will work with Dickson until the end of July, but said that he hoped to continue working as a consultant with her on future projects.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 19 - 25 February 2004
