Q&A: Hywel Jones, executive chef at Lucknam Park’s Restaurant Hywel Jones

Q. How did the recent news that Restaurant Hywel Jones has retained its Michelin star for the 20th consecutive year make you feel?

Relieved. Earning a star is an amazing thing, but it’s also a very personal thing to a chef. I was tasked with helping the restaurant get a star when I first joined, so there was a bit of extra pressure there. And it doesn’t get any easier the longer you have it – I know kind of what they’re looking for, but you still get nervous every year. The hotel’s owner sends me an email each time to say well done, and when we got to the 17th year, I said: ‘We just need to get to 20 now’, and we’ve done it. 

Q. You’ve been at Lucknam Park for 20 years now, but how did you start out in your career?

While I was in catering college, I worked part time in a restaurant on Fridays and Saturdays. Then my boss said to me: ‘You’re finishing college in the summer and the restaurant’s going to be busier, so do you want to work full time?’, so I did. He lived above the restaurant, so I used to go upstairs when we had a few hours off and read all his cookery books. After that, I decided I wanted to work in London, so I sent my CV to four or five places and got offered a job at The Royal Garden. I’d come from a tiny kitchen to this restaurant that had 120 chefs! I was then approached by Lucknam Park in 2003, but I said no as I was committed to London. They approached me again in the November, so I decided to come and have a look, but then I got here, and how can you say no? I’d fallen in love with the place.

Q. Apart from the food, what do you think makes Lucknam Park special?

It’s everything really – the history of the house, the grounds, the spa. You can literally come here and shut off the outside world for one, two, three nights. It’s got pretty much everything: multiple dining options, equestrian, all the facilities. I lived in London for many years and a lot of our business comes from London, so I know what it’s like to get out into the countryside and escape.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job now?

I enjoy seeing youngsters develop. I’ve had great success with them, and there’s lots of different ways to develop chefs and front-of-house staff through competitions and hands-on experience. I think that’s probably become the more rewarding part of the job for me. I believe in my team 100% - it’s my name on the restaurant, but it’s those guys that deliver the product. 

Q. What does the future of Restaurant Hywel Jones hold?

The thought of achieving two Michelin Stars is always there, you can’t say it’s not. But the way I see it now, I’m comfortable cooking at one-star level and think I’ve unlocked the key to it. It’s important to understand what it takes to get to that level, and I think I’m still trying to unlock that two-star door. We’ve also got quite a few things planned for the year, including a reunion of all the old chefs in November. A lot of them have gone off and earned their own stars, so it’ll be nice to have them back.