One of Ludlow’s original Michelin Men – acclaimed chef Shaun Hill – is now turning round the fortunes of a restaurant once pilloried on TV by Gordon Ramsay.
Shaun, the chef who put Ludlow on the map as a “foodie” capital, was internationally famed for his cooking at The Merchant House.
Now, after a short spell running a restaurant in Worcester, he is in charge of The Walnut Tree, near Abergavenny.
Although it’s over four years since the TV cameras – followed by the owner – left the Walnut Tree, Shaun is still receiving hate mail following repeat showings of the programme in the USA.
In 2004, Gordon Ramsay devoted an hour long Channel 4 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares programme to failing fortunes of the Walnut Tree, which had just lost its Michelin star.
The Walnut Tree’s then owner, Francesco Mattioli, claimed the show put them out of business, and the restaurant closed in 2007.
Now Shaun Hill has teamed up with William Griffiths, who manages a nearby hotel, to run the 20 plus table restaurant.
But he told the Journal that the Kitchen Nightmares show is still causing a stir – four years after it was first screened.
“I don’t know what it is about Kitchen Nightmares. But when it’s shown in America, I get hate emails addressed to Francesco calling him ‘an arrogant Italian pig’.
“The Gordon Ramsay programme put Francesco Mattioli over the edge. He told me he wouldn’t have got involved if he’d known it was called Kitchen Nightmares, he thought it was going to be called something like Kitchen Doctor.
“But I can’t grumble, The Walnut Tree had a following of its own and a dormant goodwill. It was also always one of my favourite places to eat.”
Asked whether he would be inviting Gordon Ramsay back to the new-style Walnut Tree, Shaun said: “Gordon is a very busy boy. I haven’t seen him in over year.”
But Mr Hill has entertained another Michelin starred former Ludlow chef – Claude Bosi, and his wife Claire, who used to run Hibiscus – at the Walnut Tree several times recently.
Shaun spent much of last year as a food consultant in London, including working with up market store Fortnum and Mason, but said it was good to be back in the Welsh Marches area.
“It’s nice to be in the Marches area and within shouting distance of Ludlow. My daughter still lives in Ludlow, and I get to see quite a few of the people who used to come to the Merchant House who now come to the Walnut Tree. I have great affection for Ludlow and its good food shops.”
Shaun now works with a team of chefs at the Walnut Tree, and has decided to close two nights each week so he can guarantee the same team cooks with him at all times.
“I’ve always worked in restaurants of different sizes. The Merchant House was the smallest, but one I most enjoyed. If there was no salt in the beans I knew who to blame, the buck stopped with me. Part of the reason I closed was I felt I had done as much as I could with the format, it wasn’t for any lack of trade.”
Mr Hill said didn’t like the idea of diners having to book so far in advance for the Merchant House.
At the Walnut Tree, he keeps six tables in the bar which cannot be booked in advance.
Mr Hill said he was enjoying the new challenge of running the Walnut Tree.
“This is not what I planned to do. The idea of burning your hand and running round like a fool during a busy service, I thought those days were behind me.
“I was concentrating on consultancy work and writing. But it’s going well.”
