Chef Phil Kent is a fourth generation pub owner who says the business is in his blood. He tells Marion Sauvebois why he loves the trade so much

‘THE APPLE never falls far from the tree’ fittingly sums up The Crown head chef Phil Kent’s career trajectory.

Raised by third generation pub managers in Oxfordshire, in a genial atmosphere surrounded by jovial patrons and privy to some cheeky banter, the public house was his home away from home.

Those early days spent playing darts and befriending guests at the New Inn, in Nether Westcote, run successively by his great grandfather, grandfather and parents, sealed Phil’s fate.

That and the unexpected culinary skills he discovered while lending his catering manager mother a hand in the kitchen.

“It’s in the blood; my great grandpa, my grandpa and my parents had a pub before me and now I have my restaurant,” explains the 38-year-old owner of the Shrivenham restaurant.

“It’s a vocation. I grew up around food and drink and I have really good memories of my grandpa’s pub. I loved the atmosphere, chatting to people. It was a good laugh.

“My mum was a trained chef so later I started helping her during the school holidays. It was mostly starters and salads. I fell in love with cooking.”

He was, in his own words, hooked, and even braved jibes and digs from his schoolmates to study home economics – the only boy in a crowd of wannabe domestic goddesses.

He gave them all a run for their money, he proudly recalls.

“There were 30 of us in the class and I was the only boy. I was ripped for it. All the boys were doing woodwork or electronics.

“But I did it anyway and was better than the girls. Girls used to measure everything carefully but I never did; I bunged everything together and it worked. I seemed to have a knack for it.

“When I left school at 16, I got my first part-time job in a real restaurant and I loved it. There is nothing like a professional kitchen – the banter and the camaraderie.

“It’s stressful but you get such a buzz out of it.

“Catering is a disease – you can’t explain it. You’ve got it inside you; you just have to do it.”

Phil went on to train at college in Oxford and hone his skills at various restaurants, including the Shaven Crown near Burford.

Along with his parents, Brian and Wendy, he took over The Crown five years ago, after a 12-month search for the perfect location.

“When you go through a job interview and people ask you where you want to be in five years, my answer’s always ‘I want to have my own place’.

“I wanted a freehold but they don’t come up very often. We actually went down to look at places in Cornwall and Devon. This place came up but it was sold. We were lucky – the finance fell through and we went straight in and bought it.

“I’m the fourth generation in the family to be in this business. I suppose it was a natural progression.”

The trio set to work on the damp and uninviting public house, transforming it in just three short months into a warm, bright and convivial village restaurant.

While traditional in many ways, the menu borrows from continental recipes – Phil likes a French twist.

“I wanted a bistro feel and I like the way the French eat and drink. It’s nothing too fancy but not your normal home cooking either.

“I’ve been to many fancy restaurants and I find that they mess around with the food too much. It doesn’t represent what it is.

“What I do is simple fresh food. We have seasonal menus and we try to change things around often. We have a lot of regular customers and we want to keep them interested.

“I was really nervous about opening. We didn’t advertise, we wanted a soft opening, so we just opened the door and we had 30 people the first night.

“It’s been hard work. You can be a great chef but it’s not until you own your own place that you realise how much work is involved. It’s not just about cooking anymore. There is a lot more to do behind the scenes. It’s a way of life.”

Five years on, Phil’s full vision for the restaurant has been realised with a large expansion and a new, spacious, modern kitchen.

The overhaul was completed in November last year just in time for the festive season.

As well as replacing the cramped galley kitchen, the toilet block has been transformed in a new dining room seating 30.

And there are more plans in store for the old inn: Phil intends to turn the outdated function room into two bedrooms for guests next year.

“There is a lot I want to do. Hopefully I’ll take it a bit slower and take more of a management role – cook Thursday to Sunday and have another chef work the week.

“But I need to learn to delegate a bit more. I’m a control freak. I always try to do absolutely everything but I need to let go.

“It’s been five years and we’ve built it up into a successful business but it’s still my baby.”

 

  • The Crown, 11 High Street, Shrivenham SN6 8AN. Open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 2pm and for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm to 11pm. Sunday lunch is served from 12pm to 3pm. To book call 01793 784584.