I am, officially, exhausted. It’s hard to believe that my husband, Phillip, and I have been running our award-winning restaurant now for almost eleven years, originally as Audrey’s (with moderate success) before making the change to audrey’s, at which point there was no holding us back!
These past twelve months, in particular, have been somewhat trying. Managing the business, shooting the pilot for my new television series, book signings, countless meetings and public appearances – it was a schedule neither of us could maintain for much longer. Things got so hectic around Christmas that Phillip and I even found ourselves having to prearrange times to make love! Not exactly the most spontaneous or romantic situation, especially when – due to last-minute complications – one of us was often not able to be there.
We closed the door on audrey’s on 24 April, reopening it the following day to let the couple at table 17 out, before closing again for good. I can tell you now, shutting the restaurant was not easy. In fact, it was almost like a death in the family – only no one was fighting over the sideboard. The hardest thing was telling our staff, many of whom had been with us for more than a decade. All I can say is thank God for emails – I simply couldn’t have faced looking into their eyes.
That said, I feel I’ve walked away at a good time. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved over the past decade. Yes, there have been the awards, too many to mention here (you can visit my website for a complete list). And the accolades. Simon Hadwell of the Guardian once described our 64-course degustation menu as ‘a must-eat event for serious foodies’. But it’s more about what we’ve contributed to the world of food. While I don’t take sole credit for putting vino cotto back onto the international culinary landscape, there’s no doubt our pioneering use of this long-overlooked ingredient has greatly helped restore its rightful place. (I have to laugh at the number of so-called ‘cutting edge’ establishments that have since blindly aped this trend, thinking no one will remember who actually started it!)
More than all of this, however, what I’m most proud of is the way audrey’s made high-quality, innovative cuisine accessible to everyone. Naturally, we had our core clientele of discerning diners, but Phillip and I always made a point of encouraging ordinary people to eat at our restaurant. Obviously not on weekends, and we tended to seat them towards the back, but they were most definitely allowed in.
The other motivating factor for closing was the sense that, in many ways, there was nothing more to be achieved. When you’ve taken out Table magazine’s ‘Best Inner City Ambience’ gong three years running, where do you go? I am passionate about food, and will throw myself into any aspect of its promotion, whether cooking for a restaurant full of hungry diners, hosting a Master Class or simply endorsing a new range of fragrant bin liners. But I didn’t want to ever reach the stage where this passion began to fade.
I’ll be honest, there were a few times when I came perilously close to feeling a sense of ennui. I can clearly remember one wet Wednesday afternoon when I’d rushed across town for a corporate product launch, arriving cold and exhausted. I was in the middle of demonstrating a twin-drawer Dishlex to a group of kitchenware distributors from Luton when I suddenly had a near mental meltdown. I can recall thinking, ‘What’s the point?’ Back home later that night, I told Phillip my worries. Stepping out of the shower, I said to him, ‘I think I might be losing my love of food.’ The darling took one look at me naked and dripping wet on the bath-mat and replied, ‘I can promise you that hasn’t happened.’ Still, it was a close shave – and clearly time for a change.
That’s when the two of us got talking. What if we took a break? Packed everything up and headed someplace where the pace of life was a little slower. Phillip has vivid memories of travelling through France during his gap year, and his eyes lit up as he spoke of the narrow streets, historic chateaux and, of course, the women with their elegant clothes and stylish good looks. Which is why I decided on Italy, or Tuscany to be more precise.
The trip would be a chance for us to step out of the limelight, to get away from the pressures of public life and enjoy a quiet, private break together. And then write a book about it.
We spoke to a few friends about the idea of ‘disappearing’ for a few months and they were all surprisingly supportive. In fact, before we knew it we found ourselves the guests of honour at a lavish going away party organised by our dear chums Claire and Martin Loveshaw. It was a truly special night, in no way diminished by their uninspired choice of finger food (mini quiches anyone?), and we received some wonderful going away gifts.
Naturally, we told everyone to make sure they came to visit, although Phillip was suitably selective when handing out our actual address (most people just got a post office box). Then, with a final ‘arrivederci’ toast, we were on our way.