Hugely popular bakery ârtisserie hits quiet town of Tenterden

09 February 2022 by

The double act of pâtissier professional Chris Underwood and local boy done good Graham Garrett have opened their first bakery ârtisserie

It's 7.30am and there's already a sizeable queue forming outside new patisserie ârtisserie in the quaint country town of Tenterden in Kent.

It's the first day of opening (not until 9am) and noses are pressed up against the window. Their gaze is directed at the neat lines of cakes filling up the glass-fronted display cabinet, with names such as Snickers chocolate choux and blood orange cheesecake, with two different kinds of madeleines – today there's one made with lemon, the other with ginger – as well as all-butter brioche, small wooden crates filled with crunchy-crusted beer bread, made with IPA from the local microbrewery, hazelnut and raisin bread, and proper French baguettes, with artisanal coffee to wash it all down.

The bakery is the brainchild of Kent chef Graham Garrett of the West House restaurant with rooms in nearby Biddenden, and executive pastry chef Chris Underwood, formerly of the Cadogan hotel in London's Chelsea, and it is a French pâtisserie with British attitude that has been going down a storm with the locals. The pair had to close four hours early on the first day of trading as they had sold out. The second day was even more frantic, reports Garrett. "We tripled production, but we were done by 11.30am – it was a frenzy in here," he grins.

Kent folk know all about Garrett. After a successful career as the drummer with 1980s rock bands such as Dumb Blondes, he started cooking at 31 years old, working for, among others, Nico Ladenis and Richard Corrigan. In 2002 he opened his own place in Biddenden, winning a Michelin star two years later, only to have it taken away unceremoniously in the 2020 guidebook.

It prompted outrage from his many loyal regulars, who contacted the guide to complain in their droves. Not that this affected his business – the restaurant remained busy. Garrett had put a head chef and sous chef in place so he could take a step back, so he wasn't actually cooking during the guide inspections, but it clearly didn't work out, and in fact, after returning to the kitchen his business is now better than ever, he reports.

Underwood, on the other hand, is not known around these parts. The Luton-born chef might be a big noise in the pastry world, having worked with some illustrious names, among them Tom Aikens and Simon Rogan, mostly in the capital, but he's yet to make his mark in Kent. Though that's soon to change, judging by the attention the pair are already getting on social media, from local press and even the national networks (the BBC news team has already come knocking), such is the power of Underwood's pretty petits gâteaux.

Bread brothers

So, how did the pair meet? And how did Garrett persuade this top-notch baker to leave the bright city lights and set up camp with him in this genteel corner of Kent?

"Actually, we only met a year or so ago when Chris came to eat at the restaurant, as his in-laws live up the road," says Garrett. "I knew of his reputation, of course, but we chatted and that was that. First, we became Instagram buddies, then he messaged me saying he was looking to open a pâtisserie in the area, asking if I knew any backers that might want to get involved, so I started giving him advice.

"Then lockdown happened, and he moved in with his in-laws, and we got chatting some more. Chris started looking at a couple of sites, and I went with him as I had nothing better to do as we were in lockdown. But when we started talking about the financials and what he had to put in and what he needed, I said, well, perhaps I could get involved?"

Underwood has never run a business before, so Garrett's input is invaluable. "I now have that inside information. I can learn so much from him – Graham is so much better than a silent partner, he can assist me with running the business, he's there for advice and for support, both physically and mentally, and it's great bouncing ideas of each other. And while Graham just lets me crack on as he has his own business to run, I know he's always there when I need him. The bakery is a 50:50 split, straight down the middle," explains Underwood.

Garrett leaves the cakes to Underwood, who stamps his luxury hotel pastry section signature all over them. "I keep the names of the cakes simple, so I can exceed expectation," he says, which can be seen in the lemon, passion fruit and white chocolate (£4.25). However, there is plenty of collaboration on other items, such as the hazelnut and raisin bread (£3.95), an old West House favourite, and the granola that Garrett provides for breakfast in his four bedrooms.

Once Underwood gets another pastry chef on board (he's still looking – ideally for a baker, he says), he'll get the popular West House sourdough going, too, and the croissants, both of which have already had lots of requests. Three months working together at the restaurant whilst hatching plans for ârtisserie have clearly reinforced the bond the pair have, bouncing ideas off each other daily.

"We only want to sell what we make, otherwise what's the point? It's the same ethos at the restaurant. Our range is limited for now – around 10 different items – but as we build the business and it continues to be a success, we can afford more staff and make more products," explains Garrett, promising macarons and handmade chocolates.

In addition to Underwood's glass-fronted kitchen on the shop floor, which is causing a stir locally and connecting him with his cake-eating public, he adds that they also have a basement area in which to expand. "We've been chatting to people about what they want and building relationships, and people are very excited. The town was crying out for something like this," says Underwood, who has moved to the area permanently. "My wife grew up here. It's such a beautiful place. It's a different way of life – a slower pace – but there's time to enjoy things and plenty of space for the kids to grow up."

Chain reaction

Locals will be pleased to know that Underwood will be extending the cake range as a next step. "And we will change the items seasonally, just like you do in a restaurant," says Underwood, who is also planning on offering baking classes and chocolate workshops once he has employed a number two. "I want to bring something to Tenterden that people haven't seen before," he promises.

"And if ârtisserie is a success, we could replicate this in a similar location," reveals Garrett. "I like the idea of two or three ârtisseries, with one big production kitchen. The original idea was always to offer a wholesale side – we've already got a few businesses around here asking for our bread. But we need to get this one settled first," he adds.

Not bad for a lockdown project, then? Says Garrett: "It gave me something to focus on at a point when I was probably losing the plot. In my mind, I was thinking I didn't know if a small restaurant like mine would ever be a viable thing again. Then every time I went into Tenterden High Street I saw all these people queuing for sausage rolls and coffee, and that's what did it for me. I thought, at least this would give me something to do, and I could still trade in some way. Now I've never been so busy."

While Garrett says Kent doesn't have a proper French pâtisserie, the county does have a few artisanal bakeries, such as the Bicycle Bakery in Tunbridge Wells and Grain & Hearth Bakery in Whitstable. "We purposely didn't want to go the cool bakery route," explains Garrett. "Tenterden isn't like that – it's a bit blue rinse brigade, although they do love France and French food. Plus, 300 new homes have just been built here, which has brought an influx of younger people and relocating Londoners, so the demographic is changing."

That said, many of ârtisserie's initial wave of customers are West House regulars, confirms Garrett. "I didn't realise my reputation was quite that big here. Whether this is just the initial excitement, and it will start to die down a bit now, we just don't know. I always panic. It is fantastic though. But really, I don't want ârtisserie to be about either of us, it's about building the brand," he insists.

Could winning the star back help them on that brand-building journey? Is Garrett on a mission to get it back? "You know what, I'm not bothered. Sure, I was very upset at the time – it was pretty devastating for everybody. And then Covid happened, and we closed. But when we reopened, not only were we consistent, but we were better than we had ever been. And if you are as good as you can be, and happy with what you're doing, and you're packed, and customers love it – Michelin can go and do one," shrugs Garrett, with typical insouciance.

On the menu

  • Snickers choux (salted caramel cremeaux, salted caramel, peanuts, peanut butter cream)
  • Rhubarb and custard choux (crème pâtisserie, rhubarb compote, spiced crumble)
  • Lemon and passion fruit (lemon curd, genoise sponge, passion fruit glaze and white chocolate)
  • Blood orange and yogurt cheesecake
  • Rose and raspberry tart
  • Hazelnut and raisin bread
  • Old Dairy IPA bread
  • Baguettes
  • Brioche au chocolate (mini brioche buns with a hazelnut and 72% chocolate filling)

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