Section 2. Task 1. At a small restaurant.
I hope I'm not interrupting your work, Mr Thornton.
You must be very busy at this time of the day.
Not at all, come in, come in, Mr Finch.
I'm just tasting a few of the dishes we'll be serving this morning.
That looks interesting, what exactly is it?
That one is fish, in a special sauce, one of my new creations, actually.
I'm looking forward to trying it.
I do hope you've enjoyed your stay with us.
Very much, indeed, we both find it very relaxing here.
Well, I'm sure there's lots more you'd like to ask, so, please, go ahead.
Thanks, I notice that you have a sort of team of helpers.
How do you organize who does what?
Surely, it's difficult with so many talented people.
Everyone contributes ideas of course, and to a certain extent share in the decision making.
We all have our different specialities and different ways of doing things, but that's a great advantage in a place like this.
If there is any disagreement, I have the final word.
After all, I own the business and I'm the boss.
But it happens very rarely.
I'm glad to say.
Have you had them with you for long?
Not all of them, no.
Alan's been with me for about five years, I used to have a restaurant on the east coast.
Then I got the offer to do a lecture tour of Australia and New Zealand, you know, with practical demonstrations, so I sold the business, and then, Alan and I looked around for two young chefs to take with us.
Tom and Martin have been working for me ever since.
Chefs are not a problem, but I'm having a lot of trouble at the moment finding good, reliable domestic staff.
How long did the tour last?
We were away for over two years in the end because more and more organizations wanted to see the show, and one thing led to another.
Had you been considering this present venture for long?
For sometime, yes.
During the tour, I began to think it might be interesting to combine the show idea with a permanent establishment, and so here we are.
And what made you choose this particular spot?
Quite a few people have been surprised, you're not the first.
It does seem a bit out of the way, I know, but I didn't want to start up in London.
There's far too much competition.
Then I decided to go for a different type of client altogether, the sort of person who wants to get away from it all, who loves peace and quiet, and beautiful scenery, but also appreciates good food.
When I saw the farmhouse, I couldn't resist it.
I was brought up not far from here so everything just fell into place.
To go back to the food, Paul, do you have a large selection of dishes to choose from or are you always looking for new ideas?
Both, a lot of the dishes had already been created on the tour, but I encourage my staff to experiment whenever possible.
I mean I can't keep serving the same dishes.
The people who come here expect something unusual at every course, and some guests, I hope, will want to return.
I know two who certainly will.
It's very kind of you to say so.
Is there anything else you'd like to know?
As a matter of fact, there is.
Your grapefruit and ginger marmalade tastes delicious, could you possibly give me the recipe?
It isn't really my secret to give.
It belongs to Alan, but I'm sure if you ask him, he'll be glad to oblige you, as long as you promise not to print it in your magazine.