Royal Well Tavern, Cheltenham
16.06.09
After working in fashionable London restaurants such as The River Cafe, Kensington Place and The Glasshouse, chef Humphrey Fletcher has headed west to Cheltenham, where his rustic, French-inspired cookery is sure to make The Royal Well Tavern one of the summer’s must-visit places, as MARK TAYLOR discovers
I knew I would like Humphrey Fletcher’s food as soon as I read his list of influences: Simon Hopkinson, Alastair Little, Fergus Henderson, Rowley Leigh, Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson. What more did I need to know?
And then I saw the menu at The Royal Well Tavern, a new restaurant in Cheltenham, which opened to some acclaim in June 2007.
The menu featured a roll-call of some of my very favourite things: Morecambe Bay cockles with garlic and parsley; chicken livers on toast, Middlewhite pork terrine; warm leeks vinaigrette with tarragon and chopped egg; Evesham asparagus with Jersey royals, pea shoots and creme fraiche; braised shoulder of lamb with garlic, shallots, flageolet beans and green sauce.
This was bourgeoisie French cooking of the highest order, but in a former pub with a dodgy reputation in the heart of Cheltenham.
The Royal Well Tavern is the brainchild of Sam Pearman, who worked in London restaurants such as Langans and The Glasshouse (where he met Humphrey).
Pearman also worked at Bibury Court Hotel and was also responsible for helping to launch The Kingham Plough in Oxfordshire.
The idea for The Royal Well Tavern was, according to Sam, to bring high quality food to Cheltenham, but in a relaxed, informal setting.
With its dark wood tables, banquettes and gold-framed paintings, this former boozer has a gentleman’s club feel to it, mixed with the look of a French brasserie. There is a small open kitchen in the corner and the menu is written as a straight list of dishes without sections for starters, main courses and desserts.
The idea is that people can pop in for a couple of hors d’oeuvres and a glass of wine at the bar, or stay for a proper meal and a bottle of wine from the exclusively French list. Bookings are not taken which means that tables can be highly prized at the weekends.
Humphrey, who hails from Yorkshire, gained most of his culinary experience in London. His CV includes some of the most influential and respected restaurants in the country - The Glasshouse in Kew, Kensington Place, Chez Bruce and the River Cafe.
After leaving school aged 18 in 1999, Humphrey always wanted to be a chef. He went to London where he did a year’s training at Leith's school of Food and Wine in Kensington. During this time he also worked part-time at Rowley Leigh’s Kensington Place and after completing the course at Leith’s, he got a full-time job as a commis.
It was at Kensington Place that Humphrey learnt about the importance of seasonal cookery and the use of quality ingredients. Humphrey then spent some time in France working for English families as a private cook.
“I worked for some private families in the south of France. I didn’t think I would learn much but I probably learnt more there than I did in the restaurants I had worked in.
“Apart from access to great produce, what I learnt most was what people really like to eat, rather than what chefs want people to like. It was proper home cooking and that philosophy has stuck with me.”
Humphrey eventually went on to work in a brasserie in Toulouse and it was here that he really discovered the classic bourgeois cooking that influences so much of his menu today.
After returning to London, Humphrey worked at the Glasshouse in Kew.
Before heading to Gloucestershire, Humphrey worked for 18 months at The River Cafe in Hammersmith. At this hugely influential restaurant he started to learn about the basics of Italian food; about its simplicity and the absolute importance of sourcing of good ingredients. He also learnt about presentation.
“What I really loved about The River Cafe was the amazing vegetable dishes. They like their vegetable dishes well cooked and none of this al dente stuff. They cook their vegetables for so long.
The Royal Well Tavern, 5 Royal Well Place, Cheltenham GL50 3DN. Tel: 01242 221212.
www.theroyalwelltavern.com
