The concept of a French restaurant in an English pub came to Peter Linacre in the mid 1990s when he realised that many of his friends, like him, loved the idea of being able to drink real ale and not have to stray too far to then be able to enjoy a meal of steak frites accompanied with a bottle of cotes du rhone. The point was that if you wanted to enjoy both you had to do them in different locations. This unlikely entente cordiale has spawned a group of lovely pubs in great locations.
The secret is that the French side of the business is French but it all takes place in a traditional English pub. There is a strong south west France connection and that extends too into the fact that rugby is also a passion of Linacre’s and many of his customers. Linacre also has a passion for real ale and French wine. Bringing the two together has become a driving passion. The idea continues to be refined and developed. The best locations are often in the comfortable suburbs of southwest London in which a pub has fallen on hard times. It is then revived and loved back to life.
The latest incarnation of the concept is the conversion of a down at heel pub in New Malden. Renamed The GlassHouse with l’auberge at the GlassHouse, the pub has been relaunched as a light airy space combining traditional features but with a contemporary twist. But there is no mould breaking here. The idea is to provide the absolute favourites of the best of French and English food with the best of British ales and French wines in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
At The GlassHouse Linacre is trialling a few new ideas to his business. The wine list has been extended but instead of charging his wines to achieve a margin he has decided to charge a flat mark-up of £10 per bottle. So if you like a fine bottle of Puligny Montrachet you can drink it for £28 instead of £50. ‘We have decided that our customers would probably like to taste a broader range of wines without having to break the bank.’ We are also continuing our long-standing great value menus – but still maintaining entirely fresh ingredients and using the best of the season.
We will have £7.95 two course lunch menus – but will also offer great specials and the classics of cotes du beouf. We have also installed a rotisserie. One of my abiding passions is the smell of provincial French street markets with the chickens giving off their aromas. Fresh chickens, ducks as well as legs of lamb and ribs of beef will provide a backdrop for customers to enjoy with their eyes and noses!New Malden also has happy memories for Linacre. As a student at The London School of Economics in the 1970s he played his cricket, football and rugby at the School’s playing fields at Berrylands in New Malden.
He has lived in nearby Hampton Wick since 1993 and has been looking at New Malden as a potential location for an auberge for more than a decade. ‘New Malden high street is a proper suburban shopping street in which residents can walk to the shops and meet neighbours and friends. We want to be part of the fabric of this almost village-like location’ says Linacre. We will support local charities, sporting and social groups.
‘New Malden boasts an amazing array of Korean and Japanese restaurants and so maybe it is about time we raised the flag for Europe, France and England’! L’auberge at The GlassHouse will be open throughout the day for coffee, teas and croissants as well as for lunch and dinner. The pub will be open for the usual pub hours. In the pub we will rotate a broad range of fine British real ales.
Linacre is a huge fan of local micro breweries such as Twickenham Fine Ales and Hog Back Brewery as well as the beers from Adnams, Deuchars, St Austells and Sharps. We will organise local brewery visits as well as wine evenings and events.
The garden area will be an important part of the pub. We will be planting our own herbs and will also have a rose garden. We want to create an oasis of calm where friends can meet, families can gather and gentle fun can be enjoyed. We are also keen to forge links with the local allotment growers and will aim to set up a scheme to swap fresh, locally grown produce for meals.
Our kitchen team is being led by Jerome Pontvianne, who lives on the
premises and is now the old hand of 6 different auberges. He is supported
by Thierry Caruel – a local to New Malden who most recently has
been the Executive Sous Chef at the Four Season in London.
The manager of the site is Richard Bradburn. A very experienced manager
with stints at Belgo Centrale and more recently The Selkirk in Tooting.
He has travelled the world in his quest for giving great service to customers.