Author Archives: Sarah Duncan

Introducing Hannah Ridgeway

Hannah Ridgeway - Hostess (with the Mostest)

Who would have thought that our Hannah is a trained Criminologist! That’s right, Hannah (who was born in Wrexham, North Wales), studied Criminology at Liverpool University. She moved to London a year ago, and amongst other stuff has recently finished a training programme that will allow her to volunteer time to a young offenders’ programme. In the future, Hannah also has plans to become a Primary School Teacher.

Quick Fire

Will-i-am or Jesse J? Jesse

Liberty or Selfridge’s? Selfridge’s

Sun or Snow? Sun

Tea or Coffee? Tea

iphone or Gallaxy? iphone

Swim or Gym? Swim (Hannah actually cannot swim, so if anyone fancies teaching her ………)

Favourite thing about W&B?

“The Team. I’ve never worked with a team filled with such big personalities!”

Favourite W&B dish?

“Two-Ways Chicken Souvlaki.”

Something few people know about Hannah:

Hannah still sleeps with her teddy bear – bless!

Which Came First - The Ashes or The World Cup?

Answer: The Ashes (by nearly 50 years)

The Ashes has been played between England and Australia since 1882. The series is named after a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, in 1882 after a match at the Oval in which Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain the Ashes.

During that tour a small terracotta urn was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The contents of the urn are reputed to be the ashes of a bail, from a cricket stump. The Ashes Urn, which is not actually the official trophy, can be seen at the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord’s.

The Fifa World Cup has been played every four years since 1930 (with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War). The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, Italy four times, Germany three times, and Argentina and Uruguay twice each. England, France and Spain have one title each.

Bring your ipad down to Whyte & Brown and enjoy The Ashes (via free wifi) with one of our great craft beers – the perfect antidote to a hot, sweaty office.

 

Chicken Restaurant near Oxford Circus HATCHED July 2013

Thanks so much for making our first week as a chicken and craft beer restaurant near Oxford Circus a success. As we start to call Kingly Court our home, we have got to the end of the most fantastic first week. It started with friends and family, but it wasn’t long before Danny was throwing the doors open to everyone.

We’ve loved every second of it. And the feedback has been truly amazing (and greatly appreciated).

Here are some of our favourite ‘cracking comments’:

“The food was absolutely incredible – food of dreams!”

“The chips are out of this world!”

“Style – excellent; service – attentive and not intrusive; table-spacing – good; food – excellent; flavours – excellent; staff – friendly.”

“Great food, amazing staff, beautiful venue.”

“This place is ace!”

“Wouldn’t change a thing. Staff were beyond helpful and friendly, and food was great. We will be back soon!”

And we’ve learned a lot. Your constructive feedback has allowed us to make the following tweaks:

- We’ve added sauces to both burgers (to give extra wow factor).

- We’ve upped the seasoning in the Risotto Egg.

- And we’ve arranged for a specialist to come in and advise on changing the acoustics (so that you can hear our fab music better).

Thank you to everyone who has supported us on our journey so far.

Kevin, Fiona, Mark & Justin (The Founders) x

Which came first - Wimbledon or Henley?

These two events are synonymous with this time of the year, but which came first?

Answer: Henley Royal Regatta.

Henley Royal Regatta was first staged in 1839 and is now held over a period of five days during the first week of July.

The Wimbledon Championship is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It was first held at the All England Club some 38 years later in 1877. Wimbledon is one of four tennis Grand Slams (with the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open) and takes place each year during the last week of June and first week of July.

The last British man to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry back in 1936.

We may be busy this weekend getting ready to open, but we will still be right behind you Andy!

 

 

The Whyte & Brown Family - by Danny

I grew up in a lively Mediterranean family, and my happiest times are with my family and friends, with an abundance of food (and drink) and a lot of laughter.

The Whyte & Brown team is just like an extended family. I’ve loved dining in Fiona’s home with masses of food, and tasting beers with Mark at 10 in the morning! I’ve even enjoyed Justin attempting to educate me on the joy of spreadsheets (yes, there is a joy!). Paul and I take the mickey out of each other like brother and sister, and Kevin is always there at the head of the table - keeping us all in check! We’re all a little bit bonkers and we laugh a lot, but we all love what we do and the people we do it with.

Now it’s time for us to grow the family and I’m really excited about the new team members joining us over the next couple of weeks.

Most importantly I can’t wait for people to come dine with us and create their own memorable experiences.

See you all very soon!

Danny x (General Manager)

Not long now ……

We cannot wait to get into our new home in Kingly Court, Carnaby.

Hatching in July.

 

Which Came First - Carnaby St or Oxford St?

Both synonymous with London shopping, but which actually came first?

Carnaby Street derives its name from Karnaby House, located to its east and originally erected in 1683. The street is thought to have been laid out in 1685 or 1686 - first appearing in the ratebooks in 1687.

Although Oxford Street follows the route of an original Roman road (linking Hampshire with Colchester), it did not become known as Oxford Street until around 1729 (until then it was variously known as Tyburn Road, Uxbridge Road, Worcester Road and Oxford Road).

Once again, thanks to Wikipedia!

My First Month! - by Head Chef Paul


What an amazing first month it has been for me at Whyte & Brown!

It seems we have come so far already. We’ve sourced some amazing suppliers, who live and breathe what they do with amazing passion and personality (which is exactly what I’m all about). It’s important for me to have a close and loyal relationship with everyone involved in Whyte & Brown – the farmers we work with, the team here, and our wonderful guests (who I hope will want to keep coming back for more!).

The menu is exciting and quirky, with some fantastic twists. It includes bang in season produce, and a lot of our heart and soul has gone in to making it just right.

It’s an amazing journey we’re on, and I can’t wait to show you what Whyte & Brown is all about.

Cheers, Paul

The Vision Comes Alive: Owning a Chicken Restaurant - by Fiona Gale

I belong to a family that enjoys eating well. Mum is a great cook, and we grew up with meals cooked from Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David recipes. Food excites me. I love sourcing and buying it, cooking and eating it. Good food makes me smile.

Over the past two years I have cooked little else other than dishes containing chicken or eggs for the extended family clan and friends. People send me recipes, make suggestions and offer advice on the “correct way” to cook a hen. There is no right way – there are many, but if you cook it the way that makes you smile, ensuring it’s juicy and crisp in all the right places, everyone at your table will be happy.

Having cooked so many delicious recipes, we were faced with a dilemma. What to leave off the menu? The debate continues, it’s passionate, opinionated and I believe has lead us to a well -rounded collection of memorable dishes. The recipes that will be posted on line are all tried and tested, both in my kitchen at home and in commercial kitchens – try them and let us know how you get on.

It was always my intention that our customers feel as if at home in our restaurant, to enjoy their food, drink and surroundings, feel relaxed and well looked after, but without the washing up! Our crockery has been designed specifically for us, and we have complemented this with quirky design details and an unusual room lay-out. The antique market at Newark was a treasure trove of ‘found’ objects which lend another layer to the overall design.

I’m excited to soon be able to welcome guests to Whyte & Brown, celebrate the culinary diversity of both chickens and eggs and watch my vision come alive.

See you soon I hope. Fiona x

Artisan Drinks Only….. by Mark

Ok so I am not the biggest drinker in the world but when I do drink I want it to be something decent. What is the point of drinking those mass-produced lagers apart from the obvious? I know Whyte & Brown is primarily a restaurant but I want us to be known for having a fantastic drinks list as well as serving great food.

One of the upsides of opening a restaurant is that someone has to put together the drinks menu and I am the lucky one to do that (along with Danny and Paul). I think I might have given myself that job before anyone else put his or her hand up.

I have been getting used to drinking (and not always spitting if it’s that good!) at 10 in the morning. I have been told that the best time to do the tastings is in the morning so that is what we have been doing. I never thought I would have tasted 20 different spirits and 30 wines before lunch!

As is our want at Whyte & Brown we try and put in every effort to get things right and do things for a reason. Where possible we have worked really hard to put together a drinks list that matches our food. We have tried to stick to ‘artisanal’ breweries or distilleries hopefully resulting in a refreshingly tasty and different drinks menu than you are used to. I am no expert and hence we have brought in the professionals who share the passion – Bruce, Ryan, John, Debbie and Justin, more on them at a later date.

I’m sure we won’t get everything right from the beginning but we will keep evolving the drinks menu (even if that means continued drinking for me at 10am in the morning!).

Cheers. Mark

P.S. The non-artisanal bits include the likes of Coca-Cola. Can’t win every battle!

Mark Farrer-Brown is one of the Founders of Whyte & Brown