Simon Bonwick: “If I can’t be myself at his point of the game it’s not worth doing”

Simon Bonwick, known for cooking solo​​ for almost a decade at his Michelin-starred pub restaurant The Crown at Burchetts Green, which he has since sold to Dominic Chapman​​, this week announced that he was taking over the kitchen at The Princess in Shoreditch​​ following the departure of its head chef Ruth Hansom. The Shoreditch pub is part of pub group Noble Inns and Bonwick is the second high-profile chef to join the gastropub group in a matter of months, following former The Tudor Room head chef Tony Parkin’s move to The Brickmakers Arms​​ in Surrey.

You’re moving from Maidenhead to Shoreditch. How has that come about?

I’ve known Barry [Weller, Noble Inns director] for about 20 years of so when we were at Black Boys Inn [in Berkshire] and also doing restaurants in London. His children and my children went to the same school so we met on the school run. It will be 40 years this coming January since I started cooking and when I gave up The Crown I had to think long and hard about what to do. Basically, I looked at lots of different things and Barry said ‘no it’s not going to work – you’ve got to come on board with me’. I did a bit of consulting and he showed me his business and it looked great so I ended up saying yes.

How do you feel about returning to London?

I’m excited. I started cooking in London in 1987 at The Connaught. I didn’t do the two years they liked you to do then because I was a bit of a rebel and I then went on to work in numerous restaurants in London. After that I went to the countryside and became a bit of a peasan chef; if I make an omelette these day I want a bit brown on it so it’s rustic rather than pearly white like we’d have to knock it up in one of those five star restaurants. If you’d asked me in 2013 if I wanted to do a pub in London I’d have said yes, but I went and opened The Crown in the countryside instead. At my age, London will be a new thing, it will be very interesting for me. Being in The Crown on my own for nine years was like being locked up in a loony bin, but I’m out now that’s why I’m so happy about cooking in London. But I wouldn’t be coming here with anyone else but Barry.

Tell us about your plans for The Princess

It’s going to be bloody lovely. We will serve one menu throughout the pub (which is split between to levels) which will be really exciting. We’re moving away from pub trends such as small plates and all that and getting back to proper pub cooking – it’s not pub grub but food similar to what we served at The Crown. There won’t be bar snacks and it will be a nice bold menu of recognisable, accessible food. It will be food that I like to eat which will make everybody happy because I’ll be happy. I’ve been given the opportunity to create a good business following on from Ruth. She’s handed me the baton and I’ve got to run with it to keep it where it is. She’s done a great job and I need to carry this on but in my way.

What might we see on the menu?

My foundations are laid in classical French training - so there might be a seabass dish as you;d get in Provence or crab on the menu. There will definitely be a braised piece of highland beef cooked in red wine. It’s nothing new, we’re just going down the traditional route. I’ve not been sat around for nine months doing nothing, I’ve been very busy researching and missing pubs predominantly. It’s really important to me that it is going to be different from other pubs, we’ve got to have a point of difference. Tonys at the Brickmakers doing what he thinks will fit over there and I’m doing what I think will fit in here. My food will be comforting and of its time this autumn and winter – it will be a beautiful nod to the atmosphere and emotion of the time.

The Shoreditch crowd will be different to the Maidenhead set though...

For me it’s a lot less stressful because people are more accepting in London and I think it will be a smooth transition. It’s what keeps it interesting for me – after cooking in the countryside how will I fit into London? There will be lovely nods to technique on the menu but also to the crowd of Shoreditch, which I will get to know. We’re going to get them in the doors and they are going to love it.

When will it reopen?

The pub will close for two weeks at the start of September. When it reopens we’re going to do things the Bonwick way; it will open in a quite eccentric and quirky way as I always do things. It’s like Barry says, if I can’t be myself at his point of the game it’s not worth doing. Anyway, I can’t do as I’m told.

How does it feel to not be cooking alone this time round?

When it’s just you on your own that can be very heavy to live with. When I closed The Crown I did a few things including working for queen of Bahrain as a private chef. I realised then that I still need the excitement and adrenalin of a cooking but one thing I did know is that I couldn’t do it on my own again. When I closed The Crown on 18 December I sat down and went like a jelly – my whole body felt funny because I didn’t have anything to worry about any more. I went to bed and slept like a log for the first time in nine years.

How big will your brigade be?

We have a team of five in total and the rare luxury of one being a pastry chef, which is going to be a game changer for me. It’s been a long time since I had the luxury of a pastry chef. Working alone you’ve got to do things you can do every single time so you sometimes can’t get to the highest standards in pastry, but we will be doing that here. There will be bit more detail and bit more on show. When I left The Crown we had a list of about 340 people who wanted to do stages for nothing but I didn’t ever do that because I’d have had to hold their hand and there wouldn’t have been space in the kitchen so I’d have had to be rude, and I can’t be rude so I never really let anyone come. But since announcing my move it’s already going bonkers, I’ve had lots of people asking to be my head chef and sous chef. That’s lovely and so reassuring. At The crown I was on a wing and a prayer every night cooking for my culinary life, this time I’m going to be cooking for my culinary life but with a bit more kit and some people to help me, which is nice. I’ve also got a great support in Noble Inns.

You sold The Crown earlier this year. Why?

It was up and down like everybody else was during Covid, we opened and closed, then we got Covid and closed and then a customer got Covid so we had to close again. One day, out of the blue, Dominic Chapman popped in and said he wanted to buy it and I bit his hand off. Covid accelerated a lot of things. My children sat me down and said they didn’t want to help out any more and wanted to go travelling and do their own thing, which was heartbreaking to hear.

How did it feel selling to the Chapmans?

Dominic and his brother Nick are gentlemen, they are such as historic family in hospitality so it just made sense. I needed someone like him to take it on for my own emotional sanity because I did love the place.

Have you been back?

Not yet, it’s still a bit too raw. He has invited me though. We are good friends.