The Mac factor

Every young chef dreams of owning his own restaurant but with the opening of Hogarth's in Bournemouth, Ian Mclelland isn't dreaming any more. Andrew Davies pays his first visit to a new Adopted Business.

"I've found out that the real Hogarth didn't like foreigners coming into Britain and painting," laughs Ian Mclelland, born and bred in Canada. "He would've hated me, wouldn't he?"

Fortunately for Mclelland, with the opening of his first restaurant, called Hogarth's, just a few weeks away, he isn't the type to get superstitious about ironies like that.

He is deadly serious about his plans for the place, however, and it's these that bring Caterer to the suburbs of Bournemouth and the inconspicuous little restaurant between a double-glazing shop and a hairdresser's.

"I won't deny that I'm champing at the bit for a Michelin star," he says with the conviction of a man who's told himself it's a matter of when, and not if, he achieves that goal.

But let's fill in some background before looking to the future. Under the same ownership for the last 12 years, Hogarth's restaurant is sited in a row of small shops on a busy main road in Ferndown, just outside the main centre of Bournemouth. A traditional menu of English favourites has built up a good reputation and base of regular clientele. Seating 40, it is open for dinners only from Tuesdays to Saturdays and lunch on Sundays.

The existing decor - exposed beams, Hogarth prints and tassled lampshades - gives a slightly twee, but homely, look but it is something that will change once Mclelland has had time to settle in. But he is aware he is taking over a going concern and, for now, is wary of changing too much too soon.

"I'm ambitious but not stupid," he says. "I'm not going to walk in and gut the place, hire some French waiters, a full brigade and scare off every customer in 10 miles."

Now 28, Mclelland was born in Bloomsfield, Ontario, and his route into the hospitality industry was not necessarily fated. He could have been a mushroom-picker in his early teens, for instance, but "my fingers weren't long enough".

His elder brother, also a chef, got him a job as a kitchen porter at a local resort and he got his first taste of the industry. But it wasn't enough to stop him studying biology at university. During that time, he only worked in kitchens to pay his way through courses such as "invertebrate zoology".

However, after two years, he quit university to go to cooking school, and by the time he had finished, he knew he had made the right decision. By 1997, the pursuit of work led him to a hotel in the west of Scotland, then Glasgow, then the New Forest. This rapid learning curve led to his first AA rosette in 1999 at the Woodlands Lodge hotel in Ashurst, Hampshire. In September 1999, he became head chef of the Stanwell House hotel in Lymington, Hampshire, gaining two AA rosettes and two RAC fine-dining awards.

In January this year, he decided it was time to strike out on his own, bringing the story nicely back to Hogarth's. So why is he opening a restaurant now?

"I started looking at the price of hotels - that's why," Mclelland laughs. "It's at least £500,000 for a three-star, 20-bedroom hotel, and that's a lot of money. A bank isn't going to lend you that if you haven't got anything to put forward.

"I thought if I got a small restaurant I could prove myself as a chef and that I was capable of more than a couple of rosettes."

He started looking at the start of the year, expecting a long search, but Hogarth's came up after only a couple of months.

"I didn't even know where Ferndown was, but as soon as I got up here it was obviously perfect - residential area, golf courses, near the airport, and away from Bournemouth itself, which I'd decided was the best option for me," says Mclelland. "The lease was £5,000 a year, which was really low. I couldn't believe my luck."

Mclelland examined the books and discovered the profit was just what he'd planned: £21,000. The £122,000 turnover was exactly what he'd worked out at home as his ideal guideline. And, as it was away from the centre of Bournemouth, its business wasn't dictated by the tourist season. In fact, August is the slowest month and January is just as good as September.

But it's often not just figures that go into making decisions. "The first time I went to see it, I was waiting outside for 10 minutes," Mclelland says. "Just in that time, at least five couples came by the front door to look at the menu and then knocked to see if they could make reservations. I just couldn't believe it."

The cost of the lease was £42,000, and a £35,000 loan was secured from NatWest. Mclelland is investing another £35,000 from a house sale to complete the purchase price and cover necessary refurbishments.

So what is he planning for the look of Hogarth's? "It's a nice little restaurant in so many ways," he explains. "But it's very dated. All the paintings are coming off the wall and I'm going to move the bar before we open."

In fact, the bar is moving out of the main back room and into the front. This will reduce the number of seats to 28, but that's part of the plan to make the front room more of a reception. "I want to bring it up a little bit in formality," Mclelland says, "but I still want it to be relaxed."

The menu, of starters such as seared scallops with baby spinach, haricot blanc and lemon butter and mains including lamb's liver, sausage and kidney with mustard velout‚ and Savoy cabbage will be set-price - £17.50 for two courses, and £21.50 for three.

Mclelland has the ambition and drive to make a confident go of Hogarth's. He has already said he wants a Michelin star eventually, but there are some short-term aims.

"I don't know if it's even remotely realistic, but my game plan is that in two years Hogarth's has a Bib Gourmand and then, after three years, that Michelin star," he says. "But as long as I can keep the balance of serving really good food, getting some accolades, and at the same time keeping the atmosphere nice and relaxed, I'll be happy."

Adopted Businesses

Caterer & Hotelkeeper has "adopted" a cross-section of hospitality businesses, which we will visit in rotation every six weeks.

The Adopted Businesses are Casteljaloux Golf Club, France; the Crown at Iverley, West Midlands; Hogarth's in Bournemouth, Dorset; Sodexho at Really Useful Theatres, London; the Savannah at Oxford; and the Appletree Inn, near York.

Hogarth's restaurant

173A New Road, West Parley, Bournemouth, Dorset
Tel: 01202 574769
Owner/chef: Ian Mclelland
Previous year's turnover: £122,000
Previous year's profit: £21,000
Cost: £42,000
Investment: £35,000 from NatWest, £35,000 own money