Lifestyle

A Fresh Start | Oundle Mill

With a new head chef and an exciting menu the award winning Oundle Mill is looking forward to a new era. We talk to the man in question about his background and his food

When a key member of any successful team leaves it can have disastrous results. Look at the Spice Girls without Geri. Or what happened to Peterborough United’s results after Darren Ferguson left in 2009? But handled correctly and with the right attitude change can also be a positive thing. It can be a chance to take stock, to reboot, to start afresh.

This is certainly the view the owners of the successful Oundle Mill took after their head chef – Jeremy Medley – left for pastures new in August. Anyone who read our previous feature on the Mill (The Moment, July 2011) will remember Jeremy was a central figure in the Mill’s success. So what changed?

‘Jeremy had been with us for more than five years and moved on for a new opportunity and change in lifestyle for him and his family’ Sarah Harrod, Oundle Mill’s Marketing Manager, told us. ‘And so he moved to Cornwall to be head chef at a leading restaurant there.’ Although she was happy for Jeremy – he had worked at the Mill for five years and had become part of the family – it left a big gap in the kitchen. A head chef does more than just cook. They devise the menu, set the standard and help to create the establishment’s image.

In the short term the restaurant used a relief chef. Although he did a fabulous job at recreating the former head chef’s food (he was so good some of the regular diners didn’t realise Jeremy had gone) what Oundle Mill needed was a new head chef. Someone who could create their own menus, giving the kitchen and the restaurant a new sense of direction.

Appointing somebody new was a challenge and finding exactly the right person took much longer than expected. ‘It was an exciting time, looking for a new Head Chef who would complement the team and also a chance to re-launch ourselves.’ The criteria were clear. ‘Whoever we took on needed to be a creative and accomplished chef, be able to fit in and work well with our existing team and be passionate about Oundle Mill. After a lengthy interview process we were delighted to offer the role to Gavin Austin.’

Talking to him in the Oundle Mill’s comfortable dining area, Gavin’s excitement about his new role and the chance to create his own menu is clear. ‘I just want to start cooking my menu’ he says ‘and hope the customers will enjoy my food’.

Despite being just 32-years old he brings with him a wealth of experience that he has gained at some of the country’s finest establishments. Gavin became interested in food when, as a teenager, he worked as a bottle washer in a pub in his hometown of Burnham Market. He completed an NVQ in catering at Kings Lynn college before finding his fortune in London. It was here he worked in Michelin starred restaurants.

Eager to learn, he watched, was inspired by and soaked up his experiences in London before moving to Scotland to work for one Gordon Ramsey.

Despite all of this high-end experience, he is very straightforward in his approach to cooking and his menu reflects that. All of his dishes are easily recognisable and many of them are simple yet popular classics. And yet as I know first hand (a perk of the job) they’re all made to an amazingly high standard, with only fresh ingredients used in everything.

So where does Gavin draw his inspiration from?

‘It’s what I eat’ he says. ‘It’s what I ate as a child. Plus I think it’s what people will be interested in. It’s important to me they can relate to my dishes and they’re not put off by food they won’t recognise.’ Look down the menu and you can see what he means. It consists of mouth-watering dishes such as fish and chips, slow-cooked pork belly and braised Bridge Farm lamb. He’s also not afraid to add classics like a prawn cocktail on his list of starters either.

But Gavin’s food still has a few surprises for the diner. ‘You can always add different elements to it’ he says with a smile. Take his gorgeous tempura black pudding starter. Simple enough, but the delicate crispy coating takes it to a new level.

Gavin’s food is a significant departure from the Mill’s previous menus and the whole team are excited about the future.

‘The new menus fit the restaurant’s brand perfectly’ says Sarah ‘which is “sophisticated yet simple – rustic but still stylish”.’ This fresh outlook has also encouraged the Mill to start a new bar menu for those who want a quick snack at lunch time or maybe with an early evening drink. It’s very uncomplicated (sausage rolls, scotched quail egg and sandwiches etc) but like everything Gavin does, the food is prepared to a high standard.

Change might be daunting but as the Oundle Mill shows it can also present a new opportunity. An opportunity that’s as exciting and as fresh as the ingredients its new and talented head chef uses to create his superb food.

Oundle Mill
Barnwell Road, Oundle, Northamptonshire, PE8 5PB
01832 272621

www.oundlemill.co.uk

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