Former politics student turned chef, 31-year-old Felix has worked in some of the best restaurants in the world including Kontrast in Oslo and Restaurant Frantzen in Sweden. Anna aged 28, who has a background in fashion design and was a nurse during Covid, always felt her true calling was in hospitality. Now, the pair, who returned from New Zealand in March and married in June, have realised a dream by opening a neighbourhood bistro in Farndon, transforming the former Farmhouse Café in just four weeks, making everything from banquette seating to custom tables themselves. Here, they share their food loves.
Tell us about 209
Both: 209 creates dishes from locally sourced produce, keeping the menu simple but delicious with seasonal British food. The idea is to offer outstanding food and wine in an intimate and friendly atmosphere – a place to relax for an evening, leave having made new friends and still with enough money for coffee and brunch the next day. We want people to fall in love with slow, sustainable food served with a smile.
A childhood food memory?
Felix: Having pancakes every morning for breakfast and crumble in the evening for pudding. My dad, Lester, always makes a great crumble. Whatever fruit was going over in the fridge in the morning, was going in the crumble at night. When we opened the restaurant, the first dessert had to be a take on a crumble for him – our scrumped apple pie.
Anna: Toad in the hole with mashed potatoes. It was my favourite meal growing up; it was pure comfort coming in from school and seeing the sausages in the oven with the batter on the top waiting to go in. I used to enjoy mashing the potatoes and adding the butter and milk to smooth them out. I’d lick the bowl and masher before I’d got to the table to eat my dinner.
Most memorable meal?
Felix: Going on a road trip around Italy with Anna and stopping everywhere possible to eat a lemon cake/mousse. It’s something I’ll never forget, and it often comes into conversation. I’d love to put a version of it on the menu with a British fruit as the filling.
Anna: Felix and I had just got engaged and we’d been for dinner at a restaurant in London where we had one of our first dates. However, when we got back, we had room service, so, I’d say a Ritz Burger and cheeseboard, in bed, in room 209 at the Ritz, London.
Who in the industry inspires you?
Felix: Ben Shewry (the New Zealand chef and restaurateur at Attica restaurant in Melbourne). It was the first Chef’s Table Anna and I watched together and, ever since, we have thought about how he got through the days of having no one eating in the restaurant and then changing his ideas to bring people in and show them what he was about. He wasn’t afraid to scrub the pans, brush the floor and be a part of the team.
The flavour of the moment in your kitchen?
Felix: Thyme, it’s my favourite herb. We grow it in the planters and in our garden at home then use it in the restaurant.
Your guilty food pleasure?
Felix: Burgers. From Five-Guys to the local pub, a burger is never a mistake.
Anna: Chocolate. It’s not even a secret, I love chocolate and would eat it all day long if I could.
If you weren't a chef, what would you be doing?
Felix: I’d love to say something fancy, but I’d probably be working either in a gym or for the Green Party.
Favourite local ingredient?
Felix: Fruit. It’s always amazed me that there is an abundance of it among the hedgerows in Cheshire. You’ll often find me in a tree picking apples or damsons, or down by the river looking for blackberries and sloes.
What’s next?
Both: We’ve only just got started at 209, so who knows what is to come. Hopefully, we might hold special tasting nights to showcase some of the best local produce in a refined and intricate manner.
You're hosting a dinner party, who would you invite and what would you cook for them?
Felix: Liam Gallagher and lasagne, because, why not?
Your favourite dish?
Felix and Anna: Beef. We love getting ours from Hollowood Farm in Malpas and supporting Rachel Ravenscroft in her farming of the land there. The animals are cared for and the beef is produced sustainably on land once owned by my grandad.
Restaurant 209, Top Farm,, High Street, Farndon, CH3 6PT
01829 863829
restaurant209.com
