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Skye.
meet.
"Sustainable Skye"
Call it the effect of sensationalist reality television if you will, but there’s always a sense of slight trepidation when meeting a chef for the first time. Particularly when that chef is Skye Gyngell, the Michelin-starred auteur with a whole flurry of quotes attributed to her about the ‘complex’ relationship that can exist between chef and star. Taking a sharp left past the grandiose gateway to Somerset House and into the wing that houses Spring, Skye’s latest vision for dining, one can’t help but wonder what curt or diva-ish responses await…

Of course, the reality couldn’t be more different. Immediately beyond the front desk of the restaurant, I find myself in a light-filled atrium. It is instantly disarming, replete with beautiful, towering olive trees that provide a comforting canopy over the unassuming tables, chairs and subtly intricate patterning on the walls. ‘Float’ is probably the most fitting way to describe the way in which Skye enters the room, and it’s a word that also suits the way her warm, gentle annunciations invite you into her world.

If you listen closely, you can just about pick up hints of Skye’s native Australia in her accent – it is a place she left behind at a tender age, when she realised that her true calling was for the kitchen. She traded a law degree for a Parisian cooking school, before settling in London soon after. As Skye puts it, she was a “jobbing chef for a really long time,” culminating in a role with Fergus Henderson and his wife at the French House Dining Rooms. This was about a year before Fergus opened St. John (he was in fact still working as an architect) but you can hear the seedlings of magic that sprung from that time in the way Skye reminisces: “They had the same logo they used today and it was all very similar to what he cooks today [taking that real head-to-toe approach]… I’ve still got recipes, menus from way back then.”

It was at this point that Skye took another left turn in her career. Rather than riding the ascendancy of Fergus and St. John, she left the restaurant world altogether for ten years, to raise her two children. In this period she taught and wrote for publications such as Vogue, whilst also catering for private events…
  • Semaine tastemaker Skye Gynell by Giada Mariani
Images by Giada Mariani

“…but I really missed restaurant kitchens,” she says, glancing over at the exposed window to the kitchens at Spring, which gives diners in the atrium a genuine behind-the-scenes glimpse. It’s about half an hour before lunchtime service begins, and Skye’s staff are preparing in relaxed manner amidst the rows of stainless steel appliances.

Before really delving into this world that Skye has created here at Spring, its first important to continue where we left off. After her decade long sort-of-hiatus came perhaps the most pivotal moment in her career: taking charge of the dining experience at Petersham Nurseries. “It came about almost by accident. I had these friends who had this beautiful big house down in Richmond and their garden backed onto an old garden nursery that came up for sale. My friend Francesca said to me, ‘I’m going to keep running it as a nursery, how would you feel about having a little tea house there?’”

Situated in the culinary no man’s land of zone 3 – this was way back in 2004, before diners became accustomed to the more adventurous eating options we now take for granted – Petersham Nurseries became an eight year labour of love for Skye that brought no end of acclaim. That acclaim culminated in the awarding of a Michelin star in 2011 – suddenly her ‘little tea house,’ and the garage from which she prepared the dishes (“we started off in a literal garden shed but upgraded to a garage after four years”) were inundated with a new clientele. “All of a sudden, people would come in high heels for their Sunday lunch. We had a dirt floor and wobbly tables and the two loos were outside… People would come and complain and their favourite thing to say was, ‘you dare to call yourself a Michelin restaurant?’ We were thinking, ‘no, I didn’t call myself a Michelin Star restaurant – they just gave us a star!’”
As soon as Skye begins to paint a picture of the challenges they suddenly faced at Petersham, it becomes clear how heavily the star may have weighed. Skye is at pains though to set the record straight about what this most prestigious of rewards really meant to her: ‘the thing is, I trained in France and so for me Michelin stars were the thing. When I was a young chef if someone had said to me, one day you’ll have a Michelin star… It seemed like a dream! Some things were written about how I gave back the star in some strange chivalrous act but it wasn’t like that at all. I was thrilled to get a Michelin star and, you know, I worked really hard all my life and to get that recognition was lovely.’
  • Semaine tastemaker Skye Gyngell outdoor restaurant by Giada Mariani
  • Semaine tastemaker Skye Gyngell lemon by Giada Mariani

It wasn’t the so-called ‘curse’ of the Michelin star that led to Skye walking away from Petersham nursery, more so a hankering ambition to prove herself (to herself) on a new stage. ‘I’d been there for ten years and in a way I felt like there was nothing else for me to do here.’ She pauses, searching for an analogy. ‘It’s like, if you’d written one book or one album, you want to see if there’s another album in you. Is there another book in you?’

And so then to Spring, which opened its doors towards the tail end of 2014: not the next chapter, but a whole new book. It is a striking venture both in an immediate sense and also as you begin to unravel the ethos and work that goes into creating such a place. It’s almost impossible to believe that this grandiose space was previously a fusty, dilapidated old tax office and Skye remembers vividly her trepidation upon first viewing: “it had swirly orange carpet everywhere, pillars were painted chocolate brown… all of the windows were covered with these funny old blinds so you could see no sunlight. It was dark and dank and the walls were the darkest beige you could ever imagine.” Today though, it is a place transformed. This is no small part due to Skye’s sister, the Australia-based interior designer Bryony Fitzgerald, being able to realise the chef’s vision so perfectly. “I would be trying to express what I wanted on the phone to her, like I wanted it to be feminine but I really want it to be strong, very modern but also very soft… She said, ‘yeah, yeah, you want these wooden floors and these sofas.’ In the end I just said, do you know what, can you just come over to London and do it?” The resulting interiors capture the spirit of the down-to-earth luxury that Skye has perfected in her cooking, whilst also elevating it within a setting that feels like ‘fine dining.’

As Skye waxes lyrical about her sister’s work, and that of the designers who created her distinctive staff uniforms (Kim Trager and Lowell Delaney of Trager Delaney and Maureen Doherty of Egg) it becomes apparent that women played a key role in every aspect of the restaurant’s creation. This is almost unheard of in the male-dominated restaurant industry, and extends to the kitchen – 11 of the 20 chefs are women. “I think there are women out there who are so capable of doing amazing things and I was naturally drawn to this, the generosity of spirit in everyone who came together to make this happen. In terms of the kitchen, it’s a very hard industry to be in, especially for women who want to maybe get married and have kids. We have a manager, Grace, who was saying ‘oh, well I’m 26 now and all my friends are getting out of the industry.’ It just made me think: okay, how can we make it an industry where women want to and can stay.” It’s a touching statement with particular resonance given that you, dear Semaine readers, will be reading this in the week that much of the world are celebrating Mother’s Day. It is also a statement that is heartfelt and easy to understand, much like the qualities that go into Skye’s cooking.

“You won’t see foams here, or strange dehydrated things… I mean, I wouldn’t even know how to do a foam!” What you do see and taste are dishes crafted from the absolute finest produce. Almost everything is either made on site – from the butter and the cheeses to the liqueurs and the tonic water – or on Fern Varrow, a biodynamic farm in the black hills of Herefordshire that produces exclusively for Spring. It’s a remarkable, perhaps unique relationship for a restaurant to share with a farm, but Skye sees it as an essential part of the project: part of a serious commitment to sustainability. She mentions hesitantly throughout our talk how she doesn’t feel completely comfortable with the idea of having created a ‘fine dining’ experience – yet when she talks about the tough, rewarding work she does with her suppliers, there is absolute conviction. “I think especially as you get older, you have to look up from the stove and see the issues. Not just what’s in front of you, but how food actually matters you know? It is really important and the health of our soil, our eco-systems, our farming communities – our planet – depends on it.” Knowing that this ethos is what translates into the incredible food that Skye and her team prepare, what could be a finer dining experience than that?

By James Darton for Semaine.
stream.
"Stream with Skye"

What’s on Skye’s digital fingertips?

1:

 

The Daily
APP

 

“I mean who doesn’t listen to the Daily! It’s become a habit for me every morning. I could just listen to Michael Barbora’s voice every day.”

2:

 

David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet
NETFLIX

 

“A life On Our Planet – looking back and showing a way forward – what can you say!!!! Who else is there in the world right now who is more admirable or truly inspirational.”

3:

 

Kiss The Ground
NETFLIX

 

“A really simple, informative documentary currently on Netflix – which explains in the simplest possible terms how a return to traditional farming methods would go a very long way in helping to reverse global warming.”

4:

 

Grace & Frankie
NETFLIX

 

“It’s my go to when I just want to zone out and enjoy the moment.”

5:

 

Spotify
APP

 

“A playlist my daughter made for me which she titled cooking! She knows all the songs I love & I swear when I cook while listening to it it makes everything taste better!”

shop.
"Spring Essentials"

Shop Spring's essentials.

&Tradition
Mayor Sofa
ENQUIRE
Spring | Signed Copy
Skye Gyngell
£30.00
Rhubarb Compote
Spring
£9.00
Organic Lemons
£0.45
Sea Salt Flakes
Maldon
£6.82
Fern Verrow Winter Vegetable Box
Fern Verrow
£35.00
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Capezzana
£30.00
Earth, Wind and Fire
The Yellow World x Laguna B
£210.00
Brotform Bread Rising Baskets
Frieling
£21.16
explore.
"Foodie Footsteps"

Explore the world with Skye.

Estela
47 E Houston St 1st floor
NY 10012, New York
United States
“I eat there every time I go to NYC. Everything’s good there but you have to try the Arros angers.”

Ester
46-52 Meagher St, Chippendale
Sydney
Australia
“One of my favourite restaurants in Sydney – everything is cooked in the wood fire! Matt Lindsey is a really intelligent, thoughtful cook!”

Three Blue Ducks Byron Bay
11 Ewingsdale Rd,
Ewingsdale NSW 2481
Australia
“It’s a fun day out – busy, busy farm cafe just outside the town of Byron Bay – get there in good time & be prepared to queue.”

Rochelle Canteen
16 Playground Gardens, Shoreditch
London
United Kingdom
“I love Margot’s cooking and the relaxed atmosphere she creates – it still feels relevant & refreshing all these years on!”

The River Cafe
Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, Hammersmith,
London W6 9HA
United Kingdom
“Sitting outside having lunch on a sunny day at the River Café Is one of the nicest things you can do in London! I could stay there for hours!”

Bob Cannard’s Green String Farm

3571 Old Adobe Road
Petaluma, CA 94954
United States
“Beautiful, inspirational, bio diverse farm in Northern California – it’s truly inspirational.”

read.
"Thoughtful reads"

1.
When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
“Moving, fascinating & brave.”

 

BUY

 

2.
Tartine Book No 3
by Chad Robertson
“Creativity and energy just flies from every page of this beautiful book – you can really feel it was a huge moment for Chad when he wrote this book. It just feels like this huge surge of power.”

 

BUY

 

3.
Cloud Street
by Tim Winton
“I come back to Tim Winton every time – he is my all time favourite author. This is a beautiful book full of broken, crazy characters – the story of a family and a very particular time and place.”

 

BUY

 

4.
Chez Panisse Fruit
by Alice Waters
“It’s been an amazing reference book for me throughout the years – it’s recipes are precise, thoughtful & simple.”

 

BUY

 

5.
Freedom
by Jonathan Franzen
“I love Jonathan Franzrns writing – he is a great storyteller and I love everything he has written.”

 

BUY

 

6.
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
by Judy Rogers
“One of the best recipe books ever written-it’s sat by my bed for 15 years. I still reference it, and it still inspires me as much today as when I first bought it many years ago.”

 

BUY

 

7.
Honey From A Weed
by Patience Gray
“If you love food and the study of place this is just a wonderful book!”

 

BUY

 

8.
Simple French Food
by Richard Olney
“It’s a classic – Richard Olney is one of the great food writers – full of classic recipes you just want to cook.”

 

BUY

 

ask.
"Being the best you can be whatever that is..."
Get to know Skye like you never have before.

What does the word “taste” mean to you?
Skye:
I think taste is incredibly personal and everybody is entitled to their own. What my soul is drawn to may not be what another’s is drawn to – but neither is more relevant than the other. I get irritated when people act like the taste police. I think our taste is a real reflection of who we are and should be celebrated for that.

Do you have a life motto that you live by?
Skye:
Not very original! But my Mother always used to say to us “treat others like you would like to be treated” and I’ve really found if I apply that thinking to almost every situation I can’t go to far wrong. I’ve definitely encouraged my own children to think that way too.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Skye:
Really silly things make me laugh! I often laugh the most with my kids! It’s the little things or when someone knows you really well and gently make fun of you. Then I can really laugh almost until I can’t catch my breath.

What are your favourite qualities in a human being?
Skye:
I really love and respect integrity! I value it highly! Apart from that I’m always drawn to warmth, kindness and to anyone who thinks outside the box and wants to contribute to making the worked a better place.

Who is your hero?
Skye:
I don’t have a single hero-there are so many people I respect immensely-I guess though in my world it would have to be Alice Waters whose message of local and organic has remained steadfast for the last 40 years. I look to what she has done for strength and inspiration.

What is your biggest flaw?
Skye:
I don’t really switch off from work and that brings with it a whole set of character defects and flaws-perfectionism, being too demanding of others, relentlessness unreasonable expectations-the list goes on-I try and keep myself in check daily, but it’s definitely a work in progress.

What is your best quality?
Skye:
Loyalty, integrity and having a steadfast vision I think are my best qualities (but they can be double edged too).

What would your last meal on earth be?
Skye:
Good bread and good cheese!

What does success mean to you?
Skye:
Success I think is being the best you can be whatever that is-it’s definitely for me rooted in personal growth -being a good human being-making a difference. The money/acknowledgment definition of success rings very hollow to me-if you go down that route I don’t think anything is ever enough!

If you had the power to change anything you wanted in the world, what would you change?
Skye:
The plastic crisis.

END.
workbook.
"Skye's Sustainable Kitchen"
Workbook thumbnail

Skye's Sustainable Kitchen

We’ve asked chef-patron of London’s wonderful Spring Restaurant (and long term plastic-free advocate) Skye Gyngell to give her top tips for reducing waste at home. It can seem overhwleming at times to change our habits but take it from Skye when she says, “changing one small thing at a time is enough to start with; allow that one small thing to become a habit…and then think about something else that is small and doable and set your sites on that.”

ENTER WORKBOOK
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