Ben Murphy: "To not know what we're going to be walking back into is heart breaking"

By Joe Lutrario

- Last updated on GMT

Launceston Place chef Ben Murphy on his restaurants closure

Related tags UnitedWeStand Fine dining D&d london Coronavirus

Ben Murphy has described the emotional upheaval that came with being forced to close his Launceston Place restaurant.

Speaking on BigHospiality's latest United We Stand podcast, the 29-year-old said he walked away from his highly-rated West London restaurant in tears.

"I've been at Launceston Place for nearly four years. We were fully booked every single day of the week. Being full even on Tuesday nights is any chefs dream."

"When we started work each week we knew we were walking into a fully-booked restaurant. To not know what we're going to be walking back into is heart breaking."

"But I'm aware I'm not the only person feeling like this. We're all in the same boat." 

Murphy - whose CV includes time with Pierre Koffmann in London and at a number of top restaurants in Paris - has been doing regular cooking videos on social media, demonstrating that it is possible to make high-end food in a small, basically equipped kitchen.

"I''ve also tried to organise my life so when I get my life back everything will be in order. But it has also opened my eyes to what I could be doing when I'm not at work," he says.

UnitedWeStand​ has been created by William Reed hospitality titles BigHospitality, Restaurant magazine and Morning Advertiser and is supported by Britvic, CocaCola European Partners and Unilever Food Solutions.

To download this podcast via iTunes, click here.

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