Paul Clerehugh has run The Crooked Billet since 1989 and lives on his smallholding nearby, rearing beef and sheep and growing produce for the menu.
A self-taught chef, wanting his own restaurant, he approached the bank for a loan. With only punk rock guitar experience and no security against the loan, unsurprisingly the bank said no. Successfully negotiating a car loan with a second bank, he used the Porsche money to buy The Crooked Billet (unlike a restaurant lease, banks can repossess Porches), choosing The Crooked Billet because not only was it pretty and rustic, but it was also the cheapest place on the market, run down with a tree growing through the floor and out through the ceiling, £500 weekly takings and no hot water.
Quickly establishing a reputation, Time Out’s ‘Best Out of London’ two consecutive years and entries in all the food guides.
In 1989 the Daily Mail referred to Paul’s hearty rural cooking as Gastro Pub gastronomy, christening The Crooked Billet Britain’s first gastro pub. However, it wasn’t until 1997 that Paul really hit the headlines when feeding bangers and mash to Kate Winslet’s wedding guests. Front page news on every British paper. Paul offered Kate a 20% discount for the second time around but she graciously declined.