At 74 years of age and having been behind the stoves at some of the country’s top restaurants for almost 50 years, Shaun Hill is one of the most legendary names in British cooking.
But, the man who has run the Michelin-starred Walnut Tree in Abergavenny since 2008, and who other chefs like Tom Kerridge have described as ‘an inspiration’, almost retired from the kitchen before even taking over the restaurant’s helm.
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Originally born in Belfast and raised in London, Shaun is most well known in Wales for his association with the Walnut Tree. However, he had a long and distinguished CV before arriving in Monmouthshire.
After graduating with a degree in Classics from Exeter University, Shaun started his career in 1966 working for the American chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Robert Carrier at his eponymous restaurant in Islington.
Carrier’s approach to food was to have a big impact on Shaun’s cooking style.
"It was a big influence because it showed there was interesting food that wasn't just versions of French classical food," Shaun said.
"They'd have the odd Moroccan dish and they were even quite famous for a Greek dish at the time, which was lamb in Greek pastry. You couldn't buy filo then because you're talking about the late 60s. It was very good, I could eat it now."
Shaun was also a fan of Carrier’s ethos.
"It was a sort of attitude to eating for pleasure, rather than at the time, people ate out to mark an anniversary, a birthday, or a business deal. Very few people actually at that point ate out for pleasure.”
Shaun went on to cook at other famous restaurants in London, including Soho’s The Gay Hussar.
“We largely fed the Labour government of Harold Wilson at the time and we shared the kitchen with a tankful of live carp. But some of the dishes were wonderful, especially the cakes and the puddings."
It was during a nine-year stint at Gidleigh Park in Devon in the 80s that Shaun gained his first Michelin star. And when he took over the Merchant House in Ludlow in 1994, he put Shropshire on the culinary map, as the restaurant won both a Michelin star and was named the 14th best in the world.
After ten years, Shaun closed the Merchant House when he felt he’d achieved all he could in the tiny seven-table restaurant.
While he planned to retire from the kitchen, in 2008 the lure of taking over the iconic Walnut Tree in Abergavenny was too great.
One of the most famous restaurants in Wales, the Walnut Tree had been a food-lovers destination since the early 1960s when it was owned by Franco Taruschio.
"I used to eat at the Walnut Tree when it was an Italian restaurant when Franco had it and it was my favourite restaurant,” said Shaun.
However, its reputation had taken a dent under subsequent owners, Francesco and Enrica Mattioli, following an appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares .
“It was still good when Francesco bought it, but it was in financial trouble. And so eventually it was repossessed by the bank.
“I planned to retire and go into consultancy work but this had gone belly up and I thought I'd like to try and get it back on its feet.”
While Shaun hoped to only get involved on a part-time basis, it ended up being a much bigger undertaking.
“My hope had been I'd come here and do a couple of days a week, getting it set up and running and keeping an eye on it. But the truth was that it's been full time for the last 14 years.”
He was also mindful of following in the footsteps of someone as well-regarded as Franco Taruschio.
“When I took the Walnut Tree it was against my better judgement. The last thing you need if you've got a good reputation yourself is to go someplace where you're gonna get a kick in the backside for not being somebody else and for then spoiling somebody else's favourite restaurant.”
Shaun was quick to distance himself from the restaurant’s Italian heritage to avoid any comparisons.
"I didn't even have pasta as a side dish for two years just so that everybody knew there had been a change of direction.
“I still get plenty of people asking where the vincisgrassi (one of Franco's most iconic dishes) is and stuff like that. I'd like it too but I'm not Franco and Franco is retired.”
Having held a Michelin star for almost 20 years at his previous two restaurants, Shaun swiftly regained the accolade at the Walnut Tree in 2010.
However, despite being appreciative of the star, it’s not something which motivates him.
"A pat on the back is always better than a kick in the backside but it's not what I worked towards. I had a Michelin star every year I had the place in Ludlow so it wasn't a shock that they were looking for it to be the same quality.
“My last place in Ludlow had only seven tables. I was the entire cooking brigade and so the Walnut Tree, which has got a proper kitchen brigade and can serve 70 people, was a very different kettle of fish.
“So I suppose it was nice that they awarded it but it's never been the sole objective. The objective is to make food that I'm happy with that I think is decent value for money and that enough people turn up and pay for to make it all financially stable."
Many Michelin-starred restaurants are known for their formality and fussy presentation but the Walnut Tree is loved for its relaxed atmosphere and cooking which focuses on flavour instead of fripperies.
Typical dishes on the menu include fillet of beef with salt brisket hash and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream.
"We spend a lot of effort on the food but we don't spend the effort on decorating it to look like an entry for the Turner Prize,” said Shaun.
“We concentrate the effort on the background stuff. We make everything. We make four types of bread every day, we make the petit fours, we make the black pudding out of pigs' blood, and we do everything like that. But once I've got it cooked and somebody has ordered it I like to get it on the plate and out as fast as possible so that it's in front of them."
While other chefs obsess over the bells and whistles of fine dining in search of Michelin stars, it’s not something for which Shaun blames the famous French restaurant guide.
“The chefs do it to themselves, I don't even blame Michelin for that. It's not run like a Waterside Inn lookalike competition but a lot of chefs believe that they have to have a lot of twiddly bits and very expensive crockery. It is possible that once you reach three star level that they start to expect that level of opulence, but at one star they're looking for a place that's worth a stop.”
Another noticeable feature of the Walnut Tree’s menu is its international influences, from dishes like Keralan fish curry to venison kofte with tabbouleh.
Many of them stem from Shaun’s love of travel.
“I've always liked travelling. I was very lucky that for 25 years I didn't pay for airline tickets on British Airways because I did their first class menus with Michel Roux from the Waterside Inn. And so I used to get a huge allowance of tickets and went all over the world including South America, India, China and Australia.
“And I'd go to Kiev for the weekend or Damascus, Beirut or Jerusalem or somewhere like this, and I found it to be completely fascinating.
“I haven't been able to go abroad for the last two years because of all this Covid and I'm missing it frankly. I love going to places.”
Over the years, Shaun has nurtured a number of talented chefs who have gone on to open their own Michelin-listed restaurants. Notable names include Dan Saunders from the Gaff in Abergavenny and Roger and Marta Brook from Parva Farmhouse in Tintern.
However, Shaun is philosophical about their departures.
"It's always sad when people who are good leave because it leaves a gap that you have to fill, but it's a natural process of maturing and being your own person.
“A good chef, somebody who's got a feel for food, will have picked up what they want and need from your style and then developed what they want to do themselves and I think that's great.”
While Shaun has had plans to retire for many years, at the age of 74 it looks like he’s almost ready to hang up his apron. And if it wasn’t for the pandemic, his retirement might have come even sooner.
"I've had plans to retire for the last five years, but it hasn't worked out so far. I can only retire when the place is absolutely running the way I want it and I'm happy and confident to bail out. It's getting good at the moment, I've got a good team so I'm very happy but it'll be a month or two yet.
"I take each month or day as it comes and hope for the best. But it's been a difficult couple of years with all the lockdowns and Covid restrictions.”
When Shaun finally steps away from the kitchen, he plans to stick around in Wales, having got rather used to the place.
"I wouldn't offend the good people of Wales by claiming to be a son of the soil but I like it here and I like things Welsh.
“It’s very attractive and I’ve got used to it and I hope they’ve got used to me.”
Whoever takes over the kitchen at the Walnut Tree will have big boots to fill. However, Shaun doesn’t think they’ll be compared to him like others were to Franco Taruschio.
“No I don’t think so, I hope not. Only if they b****r it up!”
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