Glitz gives way to gravitas when Clive Beddall probes one celebrity chef’s off-screen ambitions
To ladies of a certain age in Tunbridge Wells he is “that cuddly Teddy bear on the telly”. To the great and good of UK Grocery plc, he is an outspoken celebrity chef who has an uncanny knack of hitting the spot when it comes to commenting on controversial food matters.
Yet behind the glossy coat of showbiz glamour, there is a more earnest character who sounds sincere when he says he wants to put back something into an industry that has given him such a successful life.
In truth, there are umpteen versions of the ubiquitous, “never off the telly” Antony Worrall Thompson, depending upon the day of the week, from the intrepid figure who braved the Australian jungle on television’s ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!’ to the articulate advocate of organics or even the all-round passionate foodie who occasionally takes a pop at the supermarkets.
Yet they all display the passion and energy that has taken the 52-year-old, one-time Fulham Road sous-chef to the top of his profession.
After an hour with him at his trendy Notting Hill eaterie, I discover there is a shrewd politician who is itching to take his expertise on to a more serious national stage - at a price.
Worrall Thompson is underwhelmed by the pay offered by some organisations and ruefully informs me that he turned down a chance to join the Food Standards Agency. “I couldn’t afford to be part of the FSA. They wanted to pay me £8,000 a year for attending four meetings a month. To some people that is a lot of money. But, frankly, I couldn’t do it for that rate because I have so much to do already. Four days a month out of my life, when I am running restaurants, writing for the Daily Express, appearing on the telly, doing radio and tending my little farm, is too much.
“If they want to get the right people on to the FSA they have to pay a little bit more. Having said that, if I was offered a responsible job, where I could really contribute in the food arena for one day a month, I would do it for nothing.”
He gives the impression that the FSA job was not right for him, and he admits that he finds some of the organisation’s tactics questionable. He is particularly concerned that the FSA occasionally “scares the public by issuing directives on food issues before the proof is there”.
“They worried people over lamb, for example, and that brought headlines saying that lamb had BSE. As a result, sales slumped.”
Like many of his TV contemporaries, Worrall Thompson admits to being passionate about organics. But he quickly adds that he is “a practical person who believes that not everything organic is good”. He explains: “The object of organics is defeated when we are forced to import up to 70% of our needs. All that does is add to food miles and increase pollution. So, although Brussels will not allow it, I would love to see more incentives to expand organic production here. Having said that, I believe the Soil Association is too harsh with the rules. I would like to see organic accreditation charges scrapped. There should be one central government body setting the rules for accreditation that does not charge you £300 for every product you want to be accredited.
“I have pigs, ducks, vegetables and salads, and I would have to pay for each. For a tiny smallholding serving my restaurant, it is not worth it. Why should I have to pay someone £300 every time I want to tell someone that my products are organic?”
Not all the Worrall Thompson working week is spent in TV studios. Although he admits to “buying British”, his extensive tours of UK production units have thrown up concerns. “For example, some of our chicken producers are fantastic. Yet some of them are awful. I have always believed in local produce for local people but I despair when I go to Thailand and see their production methods. They are so much cleaner and more efficient than some of ours - so you can understand why certain multiples are buying from Thailand.
“And while that has a lot to do with price, the chicken from there is often a better product. Certain producers in Britain must realise that if they want to compete with the likes of Thailand they have to achieve the same degree of hygiene, factory efficiencies and animal welfare standards.”
Meanwhile, in recent weeks he has effectively doubled the size of his branded food range with six new products under the AWT banner, bringing the total range to 14, with more planned for later this year but now covering more than 50 products.
But the difference between Worrall Thompson and some of the celebrity chefs who have unsuccessfully taken this challenging route, he insists, is that he is in it for the long haul. “I have been closely involved in recipe development, some of which has taken over a year to get absolutely right.”
So, as an ambitious branded supplier in his own right, how does he view his major customers, the multiples? The answer is swift: “Supermarkets only need to have personality in three areas - at the deli counter, the fish counter and meat counter. They are the only places where they need to talk to customers, apart from when they ask them for their loyalty card at the cash desk.”
Does he believe the multiples are doing that successfully? “No they are not. I asked one manager the other day for sardines that had been scaled, and the answer was that they hadn’t been. The stores are getting better, but they still need more staff training on those counters.”
To ladies of a certain age in Tunbridge Wells he is “that cuddly Teddy bear on the telly”. To the great and good of UK Grocery plc, he is an outspoken celebrity chef who has an uncanny knack of hitting the spot when it comes to commenting on controversial food matters.
Yet behind the glossy coat of showbiz glamour, there is a more earnest character who sounds sincere when he says he wants to put back something into an industry that has given him such a successful life.
In truth, there are umpteen versions of the ubiquitous, “never off the telly” Antony Worrall Thompson, depending upon the day of the week, from the intrepid figure who braved the Australian jungle on television’s ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!’ to the articulate advocate of organics or even the all-round passionate foodie who occasionally takes a pop at the supermarkets.
Yet they all display the passion and energy that has taken the 52-year-old, one-time Fulham Road sous-chef to the top of his profession.
After an hour with him at his trendy Notting Hill eaterie, I discover there is a shrewd politician who is itching to take his expertise on to a more serious national stage - at a price.
Worrall Thompson is underwhelmed by the pay offered by some organisations and ruefully informs me that he turned down a chance to join the Food Standards Agency. “I couldn’t afford to be part of the FSA. They wanted to pay me £8,000 a year for attending four meetings a month. To some people that is a lot of money. But, frankly, I couldn’t do it for that rate because I have so much to do already. Four days a month out of my life, when I am running restaurants, writing for the Daily Express, appearing on the telly, doing radio and tending my little farm, is too much.
“If they want to get the right people on to the FSA they have to pay a little bit more. Having said that, if I was offered a responsible job, where I could really contribute in the food arena for one day a month, I would do it for nothing.”
He gives the impression that the FSA job was not right for him, and he admits that he finds some of the organisation’s tactics questionable. He is particularly concerned that the FSA occasionally “scares the public by issuing directives on food issues before the proof is there”.
“They worried people over lamb, for example, and that brought headlines saying that lamb had BSE. As a result, sales slumped.”
Like many of his TV contemporaries, Worrall Thompson admits to being passionate about organics. But he quickly adds that he is “a practical person who believes that not everything organic is good”. He explains: “The object of organics is defeated when we are forced to import up to 70% of our needs. All that does is add to food miles and increase pollution. So, although Brussels will not allow it, I would love to see more incentives to expand organic production here. Having said that, I believe the Soil Association is too harsh with the rules. I would like to see organic accreditation charges scrapped. There should be one central government body setting the rules for accreditation that does not charge you £300 for every product you want to be accredited.
“I have pigs, ducks, vegetables and salads, and I would have to pay for each. For a tiny smallholding serving my restaurant, it is not worth it. Why should I have to pay someone £300 every time I want to tell someone that my products are organic?”
Not all the Worrall Thompson working week is spent in TV studios. Although he admits to “buying British”, his extensive tours of UK production units have thrown up concerns. “For example, some of our chicken producers are fantastic. Yet some of them are awful. I have always believed in local produce for local people but I despair when I go to Thailand and see their production methods. They are so much cleaner and more efficient than some of ours - so you can understand why certain multiples are buying from Thailand.
“And while that has a lot to do with price, the chicken from there is often a better product. Certain producers in Britain must realise that if they want to compete with the likes of Thailand they have to achieve the same degree of hygiene, factory efficiencies and animal welfare standards.”
Meanwhile, in recent weeks he has effectively doubled the size of his branded food range with six new products under the AWT banner, bringing the total range to 14, with more planned for later this year but now covering more than 50 products.
But the difference between Worrall Thompson and some of the celebrity chefs who have unsuccessfully taken this challenging route, he insists, is that he is in it for the long haul. “I have been closely involved in recipe development, some of which has taken over a year to get absolutely right.”
So, as an ambitious branded supplier in his own right, how does he view his major customers, the multiples? The answer is swift: “Supermarkets only need to have personality in three areas - at the deli counter, the fish counter and meat counter. They are the only places where they need to talk to customers, apart from when they ask them for their loyalty card at the cash desk.”
Does he believe the multiples are doing that successfully? “No they are not. I asked one manager the other day for sardines that had been scaled, and the answer was that they hadn’t been. The stores are getting better, but they still need more staff training on those counters.”
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