The newly refurbished Plough at Wavendon has just opened its doors, with ambitious plans to be the best restaurant in the Milton Keynes locale and to be totally self-sufficient with bespoke vegetables, herbs, poultry and meat produced locally, organically and specifically for their guests.
Jon Todd, the director of Hasmead landscape & design in Salford, is a partner at The Plough. The building dates back more than 500 years and has been through several incarnations. It was once the Hogsty Inn (when that part of Wavendon was known as Hogsty End) and was also the village bakehouse for a time. Jon’s impressive conversion project from local pub to a future five-star award winning restaurant has been his pride and passion for the last eight months and the cost has run to more than £350,000. “I could always see tremendous potential here for an eating place of excellence,” comments Jon. “We’ve created a restaurant which is elegant yet welcoming, and warm yet contemporary. Our guests will not just be sitting down for a meal – they will enjoy a ‘dining experience’ from start to finish.”
The Plough’s head chef is Grant Hawthorne from Cape Town. A resident of Buckinghamshire for the past seven years, he brings with him a wealth of experience and the vibrant flavours of the southern hemisphere. “Cape Town actually has a Mediterranean climate,” he says, “so in essence the restaurant will have European influences too.” Previously, Grant has worked with French celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, catered for the 2003 World Cup Winning England Rugby Union squad and also cooked for Nelson Mandela at the launch of the Make Poverty History campaign at the South Africa High Commission in London.
He has earned an enviable reputation as a seafood specialist, but it was his Chocolate Studded Cape Malva Pudding which came second in the UK Best Dishes of 2006. “It’s similar to a light sticky toffee pudding served in caramel baskets and garnished with blackberries,” explains Grant. “Of course it will feature on the menu here!”
Over the next two years, Grant will be working towards his Master Chef accreditation. This award is granted every four years and, out of the 200 or so applicants, only about half a dozen actually succeed. “It is the highest honour that a chef can achieve,” he confirms, “and naturally the standards at the restaurant will reflect the level of this accolade.”
The Plough’s guests will also be pleased to learn that Grant is not one to hide away in the kitchens! “When you go to the pub, you see the barman, so when you go to a restaurant, why is the chef squirreled away behind four walls?” he laughs. “I want to get out there, meet my customers, provide them with exactly what they want and help them have a truly memorable and special evening.”
For reservations and enquiries please call 01908 587576.
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June 2007
