Thompson St Albans to close after 12 years of trading

The three-AA-rosette Thompson St Albans in Hertfordshire has announced it will close this week after nearly 12 years of trading.

The fine dining restaurant, which is also listed on the Michelin Guide for its "accomplished cooking", was launched by chef Phil Thompson and his fiancée Marianne in November 2013. In 2017, Thompson St Albans secured its third AA rosette.

The restaurant has since confirmed its last service will be taking place on 18 October.

In a post on Instagram, the chef said: “It is with great sadness that after 12 years, we will be closing the doors to Thompson St Albans. On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to thank everyone who supported and grew with us over the past 12 years. Our regulars became part of the Thompson family, which meant the world. 

“To all our staff past and present, thank you for all your hard work. It wasn’t always easy, but you truly made Thompson St Albans a chapter in my life that I will always be very proud to remember.”

Thompson grew up in Dagenham and started his career in the industry as a pot-washer at his uncle’s kitchen.

He later left school to study catering at Thurrock Technical College (now South Essex College) and secured his first job at the Lanesborough hotel in London, where he became a commis chef.

Over the course of his career, he has worked at the likes of the Michelin-starred Orrery, run by head chef Chris Galvin; Marco Pierre White’s L’Escargot Picasso Room; and Auberge du Lac at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, where he led the kitchen to its first Michelin star as executive chef.