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Talking Toques - Tim HaywardWe send our reporter Douglas Blyde to meet Tim Hayward and learn more about his new restaurant in Cambridge, Fitzbillies...
What inspired you to take on one of the city’s most dilapidated institutions?
It was Stephen Fry. My wife grew up in Cambridge. When she saw Stephen Fry Tweet that Fitzbillies had gone bust she had called the landlords, Pembroke College, and myself within about five minutes. There was a lot of interest (over 200 approaches) but we won in a competitive pitch.
Has it been liberating to harness mostly local produce?
It's an honour to work with Rosie Sykes, our chef. We share an odd sort of belief about how we describe ourselves. If you went into a French local café, you probably wouldn't ask if the menu was “seasonal, local and French”. We feel that, if Fitzbillies is going to deserve a good reputation, it has to be the same way. The way we figure it, of course, our food is seasonal and from the best local producers - how else should it be? We don't want to be seen as 'New Brit' just 'what a proper restaurant should be'. It is, it goes without saying, tremendous to be able to buy everything from the surrounding suppliers - East Anglia is after all home to some of the best produce, game, meat and fish in the country - we just don't need to put 'seasonal and local' or 'British' on the menu.
Is Fitzbillies a designer's dream?
In a sense, we're very un-designed. We've used simple, cost effective finishes and recycled a lot. That said, we had a lot of help from Dan Hopwood, our interior designer/architect, in making things work. Lamps are recycled mixing bowls we found in the kitchens, and tables are the originals re-topped with zinc. But those decisions were taken with an overall aesthetic in mind. We hope the place is comfortable and calm, without seeming forced or arch.
You seem to have a thing about typefaces?
I'm afraid I'm a font nerd. We originally planned to go with a clean Gill Sans throughout then we found a 1938 menu in the basement. I couldn't identify the font at first so I put it up on some deep typegeek sites! It turns out it's a version of Goudy Bookletter from around the time the the place was founded, but sort of beaten and knackered by overuse by a local jobbing printer. I love the face now. Utterly symbolic of everything we're trying to achieve. The gold leaf lettering in the windows is based on Gill, but executed freehand by a local craftsman who does a lot of work on College arms and heraldry. The main sign is just a stunning piece of mad, freeform Belgian inspired art-nouveau. Completely, brilliantly unique...
Has it been a challenge to recruit quality staff?
Initially it was difficult, but over time we've built up a great crew. I think smaller towns have a tight little community of restaurant people. I get the sense some of them wanted to see how we were going to shape up before they came to see us. I think it's important that we're also going for a 'casual but passionate' approach from the floor team. It's something I've always loved about St John, in Farringdon, and we hope to replicate here
Will creating and serving food ever see you depart journalism?
Definitely not. There are enough hours in the day to fit both in. I also hope that by seeing things from the POV of someone inside the industry - albeit a newbie and in a very small way - I might be able to bring something extra to my writing.
Tim Hayward
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