BROWN'S HOTEL
Situated in the heart of Mayfair, Brown’s Hotel was London’s first hotel, first opening its doors in 1832. Famed for being quintessentially British, today, it offers everything from afternoon teas and cocktails to fine dining and banqueting.
This month, we interview Brown’s Executive Chef, Andrew Sawyer on his inspiration to becoming a chef, the challenges of running an iconic hotel restaurant, the impact seasonality has on Brown’s menu planning and his favourite dish on the menu!
Andrew, tell us about Brown’s and the style of cuisine which you’ve described as “much-loved tradition and modern excellence”.
Brown’s is London’s oldest hotel. Formed from 13 entwined properties over a period of 191 years, it’s now owned by the Forte family. Our Chef Director is Adam Byatt from Trinity – one of the best classically trained chefs in the country – and our cuisine is a fusion of French and modern British.
Charlie’s offers your quintessential lunch with classics such as Caesar salad and chicken Milanese. Dinner is more refined with dishes such as pigeon and foie gras Pithivier. And lots of game and seasonal veg on the menu too.
The Drawing Room is renowned for its afternoon teas, with over 120 covers a day. And we have The Donovan Bar which has a menu stylized around Italian classics. There’s also banqueting with 2-3 events happening every day. These can be anything from private dinners for 15-20 people to a function for 70+ guests.
So, it’s busy! Last month, we recorded over 500 covers in one day across banqueting, restaurant, breakfast, and afternoon teas.
In 2018, you were crowned Chef of the Year. What inspired you to become a chef?
I was a roofer before I was a chef. Then, in 2007, the recession hit, and all my work dried up. So, I started washing dishes at my friend’s pub before moving into the kitchen. I can still remember the first day. It was hot, The Rolling Stones were playing on the radio, and I was chopping peppers – and that was it! A real life-changing moment for me. I’ve been addicted to cooking ever since.
At Brown’s, how does seasonality impact your menu planning?
We try and stick to the dates of each season but it’s proving more difficult now. The seasons are changing, and produce can be hard to source due to climate conditions. And there’s no point buying tomatoes from Netherlands if they’re grown in-house, in December. It’s just not going to work.
Here at Brown’s, we always want the best because if you source the best ingredient, you shouldn’t have to do much to it. You just need to treat it well and with a little love!
So, how far in advance do you plan your menus and how often do you change things up?
We’ve got a multitude of dishes and variations which feature across all our menus. We change each menu regularly – probably around five times a year, depending upon the season. However, we’re continually tweaking and updating our dishes and revolving the menus throughout the seasons too.
What are the challenges of running a busy hotel restaurant?
Staffing is a constant challenge. When we’re fully staffed, we have 42 chefs. And with that, comes 42 different personalities.
Managing expectations poses its own set of challenges. It takes five to six years to become a chef de partie. It’s a considerable commitment. Anything less than that, you haven’t learnt enough, and you haven’t made enough mistakes Making mistakes is a crucial part of the learning process. From my perspective, they aren’t just mistakes; they’re valuable lessons in the culinary journey.
So, what does your typical day look like?
There is no typical day. It’s a rollercoaster! On the weekends, Saturdays can be quieter in the restaurants, but Sundays are always full on!
We serve a fantastic Sunday roast, and our afternoon tea is particularly popular, especially on weekends – we’re regularly hitting over 150 covers for afternoon teas, alone. Monday lunches can be crazy too. Before you know it, you can have nearly 80 people piling through the door!
Plus, on any one day, I can have up to 25 people working in the restaurant. And there are the many different dishes to taste. I’m constantly walking around with a spoon!
What’s your dream for Charlie’s? What’s on the roadmap?
By next year, I’d like us to get our third rosette – we already have two but a third would be nice. I want us to be known for our hard work and commitment, and the effort we put into everything. But, above all else, I just want us to be profitable and I want the hotel’s future to be bright!
Finally, what’s your favourite dish on the menu at Charlie’s and how does that fare against the most popular?
That’s a tough one. I don’t have a favourite dish although, right now, we’re serving a delicious game pie with mash and a side of winter greens, and the venison and salt baked beetroot is gorgeous.
There’s also the glazed Brown’s ham and the poached whole salmon…too many great dishes to mention!
Introducing the new County Supplies Customer Series
Here at County Supplies, we’ve been supplying London’s leading chefs with fresh produce since 2005. Today, we’re proud to supply more than 600 customers – from schools and event caterers through to film sets and Michelin star restaurants – with over 2,500 produce lines including fruits, vegetables, dairy, dry and frozen.
Our new customer spotlight series showcases some of the UK’s leading chefs and explores the wide variety of customers they cater for, the importance of incorporating seasonal foods into their menus and their commitment to using only the finest fresh produce.
