John Barber is head chef at Auberge du Lac at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. After reopening in May 2023 after a three-year hiatus, the restaurant is experiencing a renaissance, mixing traditional and innovative culinary concepts using ingredients from its vast kitchen garden to create a standout soil-to-plate dining experience.
After studying at Birmingham College of Food, John worked in prestigious kitchens such as The Belfry Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, also the D&D Group, opening 14 Hills at 120 Fenchurch Street in London.
John’s arrival at Brocket Hall estate in 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Auberge du Lac; his vision to make fine dining more accessible and relaxed, without any compromise on quality or taste.
We sat down with the talented chef to find out a little more.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
My name is John Barber. I grew up in Lichfield, Staffordshire and from an early age I was always into cooking; I started as a kitchen porter at 14 years old in a local restaurant, left school at 16 and did a professional cookery course at University College Birmingham. After two years there, I passed my qualifications and worked in a fine dining restaurant called The French inside The Belfry Hotel and Resort. After a year working there, an amazing opportunity came from a friend working at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge. It was a three-year culinary programme within the hotel where you got to experience all the different outlets, from cold larder, banqueting kitchen, restaurant kitchens and pastry.
After the three years, I was able to choose where I would work next and so I chose a restaurant called Bar Boulud which was the only European restaurant under Daniel Boulud, situated on the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental. I worked my way up from chef de partie to executive chef over the next seven years. Then I left to explore a different company and restaurant, so went to work for D&D and opened up 14 Hills in Fenchurch Street.
Shortly after opening, Covid-19 came about and we were in lockdown. Spending a lot of time with my family made me realise I wanted to find something a bit closer to my home in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, and this is where I found the restaurant Auberge du Lac on the Brocket Hall Estate. I worked in the estate for two years looking after the golf club and banqueting kitchens whilst building the team for Auberge and doing regular pop-ups to scope out the clientele around the area. We opened Auberge in May last year and keep progressing to get Auberge back on the culinary map.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
I can’t say it has been a particular person, it has been many people over the last 10-12 years. Everyone you meet has something to show and teach you, whether that be what to do or what not to do. All in all, I owe a lot to the Mandarin Oriental, as they gave me a really good foundation in those first three years and I think that set me off on the right path. I learnt so much from working at Bar Boulud from the senior chefs that I worked alongside.
What’s your signature dish?
Probably pâté en croûte. I actually came third in the first ever UK competition last year – I just like to make them; I think it’s a very classical dish that will always be around.
How would you describe the food you create at Auberge du Lac to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
I would describe the food at Auberge as modern British with influences from my past. We have had classical French dishes on the menu, dishes with elements of Thai cuisine, and references to things I’ve seen overseas, but we take as much produce as we can from the kitchen garden and the estate, using seasonal ingredients to create the best dishes possible.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
Daniel Boulud once told me that you need to imagine being the guest when creating a menu, think about the first impression they will have when looking at the menu, how it’s written, where it’s placed physically – it’s all about the guest experience. I always try to have something for everyone, and if we know in advance we can cater for specific allergies and lifestyle choices. We are very flexible when it comes to working around these.
I wanted Auberge to be accessible to everyone, so we have a set lunch menu, à la carte menu and offer a tasting menu with wine pairings as well as weekly specials, so there’s something to fit all occasions and all prices. And a menu needs to be good value for money. Making sure the guest feels they are getting good value always make the experience better.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
I think all of the seasons are great in different ways, whether it be a homely braised beef dish with root vegetables and a rich red wine sauce in the winter, or a fresh and zesty seabass ceviche in the summer. It’s hard to say but I think spring and summer are my favourite times of the year for food and ingredients. I think in general everything is better with some sunshine and good weather!
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
I don’t have a favourite ingredient as there are too many to choose from, but it’s really whatever is in season. At the moment we are just coming into wild garlic season, so that will feature a lot on the menu, then once that has passed it’s on to the next thing, then the next, so my favourite ingredient is forever changing.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
It’s hard to say as this is the only career I have known, but it would definitely be something with my hands, either a carpenter, builder or painter. I was never very academic and can’t sit still so an office job would be torture, although being a rally car driver would have been fun!
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
My go to dish would probably be a good spaghetti bolognaise, having started it in the morning with lots of herbs, red wine and good tomatoes, and leaving it to cook low and slow all day. I serve it with fresh spaghetti and some good aged Parmesan, which is always a winner with the family.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
I always like to try something new instead of going to the same place over and over again. I do always try to go to the Fox and Hound in Barley near Royston on my birthday, as they do a great Sunday lunch and it’s a really cool pub with a nice garden.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
When we first set up the kitchen garden at Auberge with Lucy Hawkins, I didn’t anticipate how good the produce she was going to grow would be. But having the ability to go 100 meters from the restaurant and pick the majority of produce, bring it back prepare and cook it is just amazing. Everything is grown naturally as Mother Nature intended, and we try and use the best suppliers for our meat and fish, which isn’t always ‘local’ but we use the best we can buy, selecting wild fish over farmed and buying larger cuts of meat to utilise throughout the menu instead of getting prepared cuts in.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
The unique selling point of Auberge has to be the setting. From the moment I walked around I knew it was special; this idyllic old hunting lodge sitting just next to the river with an amazing view and terrace to complement it. The fact that it had been left closed for so long, I knew I had to get it open and operational again.
What do your future plans entail?
In terms of development and progress, it’s about getting Auberge back to a destination restaurant, developing the menu and the team to achieve some notable accolades, as well as expanding the kitchen garden – that is what I want for the future at Auberge and Brocket Hall.
Factbox
Address: Brocket Park, Marford Rd, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City AL8 7XG
Phone: 01707 368888
Website: brocket-hall.co.uk
