William Sitwell meets a Gallic chef who has bounced back from adversity, and now creates fabulous French food in the heart of stately England. Plus, how to bring that certain je ne sais quoi to your kitchen.
Jean-Christophe Novelli, 42-year-old chef and Frenchman, is pacing up and down the Morning Room of the magnificent Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.
'I'd never normally even consider doing this,' he says fiddling with a stiff collar. He is decked out in black tie and it's about the third time so far this morning that he's changed clothes. We've had him in tweeds and plus fours in front of the house, in a dressing gown reclining in the Prince Regent Suite and now in a tuxedo. Normally, taking a portrait photograph of a chef is straightforward. He wears his whites and pretends to cook. But when it comes to the chef once voted the sexiest man in Britain, we're obliged to try something different.
'Let's go back to the restaurant and talk a little,' suggests Jean-Christophe as an escape route, referring to his current billet at Auberge du Lac, a former hunting lodge and now restaurant on the 543-acre Brocket Hall estate. 'We'll have a glass of Champagne.'
I go for this cheeky idea and so we stride out from the house and down the hill to escape the demands of stylists, photographers, hair and make up people and the like. As we walk, we look back at the house. 'It's very beautiful, don't you think?' says Jean-Christophe. 'It's hard to believe London's only 20 miles away.'
The undeniably impressive Brocket Hall was built by one Sir Matthew Lamb in 1760 as a house for entertaining, and has in its time been the home of two Prime Ministers. The house is now leased from the Brocket family after the current Lord Brocket was jailed for insurance fraud (he had a penchant for burying cars in the garden and claiming insurance).
Jean-Christophe calms a little as we install ourselves at his restaurant to discuss the ups and downs of a 25-year career in which he's won four Michelin stars and been championed by food critics and fellow chefs the world over. According to restaurant pundit John Lanchester, for instance, Novelli cooks 'some of the most wild and imaginative French food in the country.'
Respected trade magazine Caterer & Hotelkeeper is similarly impressed. 'Novelli cooks with his heart,' it has written, 'with a passion that can at times seem reckless, and creates food fit for the Gods.'
But J-C's undisputed flair in the kitchen is only one part of his story. Indeed, looking at his life leaves one a little exhausted and rather perplexed. He seems to have been blessed with good and bad luck in equal measure. In fact, were you to draw a chart measuring fortune against time you'd get one hell of a zig-zag.
He was born in Arras, an industrial town in northern France. His parents were poor: his mother mended clothes for cash; father was an electrician who also had something to do with tarmac ('he used to blow up the rocks,' says J-C). 'But it wasn't bad. If you have nothing, you don't miss anything. Small treats become massive. I remember having orange juice once on Christmas Day.'
School was difficult as he couldn't concentrate, was given sedatives and placed in a remedial class. 'You know, I was completely disturbed,' is his take on events. And while his good looks attracted the attentions of the prettiest girls, 'they always dumped me,' he moans, 'because they thought I was thick.'
He was finally kicked out of school at the age of 14, whereupon he got himself a job in a local bakery. 'My father didn't mind,' says J-C. 'He said, 'I don't care if you go to school or not, I just don't want you to be a bum'.' He adored the place, loved the smell, the noise. His first job was to clean bread tins; then he moved on to glazing the croissants. 'And then I was allowed to take the bread out of the oven,' he says, 'and I loved that.'
Unfortunately, one morning a colleague fell into the dough mixer and the place shut down. So he found a job in another bakery across town and was happy again. From there, he graduated to a local brasserie, where he was put in charge of omelettes. 'I was the quickest omelette-maker in the place,' he says. 'I could make 15 different omelettes at the same time in different pans.'
That good-luck line rose steeply until one day he got a phone call from his father. 'Come home immediately,' he barked. 'In three days you have to join the army.'
'National Service was the worst experience of my life,' he says. 'It left me physically and mentally destroyed, but I made many friends. I vowed that if one day I become a leader I would never treat people like we were treated.'
After the hell of the army, things picked up when, aged 19, he found a job in Corsica, cooking at a hotel owned by the wealthy Rothschild family. He thrived, made friends with the local fishermen and got the best sea bass and lobster. Then there was a small blip. Local terrorists blew up the hotel (twice), so he moved to Paris and got a lowly commis-chef job at a big hotel.
Life improved when he landed a job cooking in a private kitchen for the Rothschilds. He loved the work, shopping in the great markets of Paris, gossiping with other chefs. It was his new patron, Elie de Rothschild, who urged him to go to England to learn English. 'I'm very patriotic. I love my country to death,' he explains. 'But England is a place where things happen. The British are very adventurous. As soon as I got on the ferry I felt it was the turning point in my life.'
Fresh off the boat at Southampton, he got a job at a local restaurant. Jonathan Meades gave him a glowing review and introduced him to Marco Pierre White. J-C's star continued its ascent when he met Rick Stein, who introduced him to Keith Floyd, who installed him at the Maltsters Arms in Totnes. He flourished there until getting a chef-pâtron job at Provence, the Hampshire restaurant where he won his first Michelin star.
The next move was to London in 1993 where, as head chef of the Four Seasons Hotel, he received Michelin star number two. Buoyed by his success, he decided to go it alone. In 1996, with a £64,000 bank loan and the encouragement of Marco Pierre White, he opened Maison Novelli in London's Clerkenwell. Within two years, he had a seven-restaurant empire, a staff of 200 and two further Michelin stars. But, in 1999, his business got out of control and he went bankrupt.
'After Maison Novelli I became very rich, very quickly,' he recalls. 'But it went wrong. As we say in France, 'I swallowed the frog'. I think my main problem was that I had stopped being a chef.'
In the latest chapter of J-C's extraordinary saga, his luck has changed for the better. With his appointment at Brocket Hall, he's back doing what he does best: serving up his classic French dishes at a destination restaurant. There's oxtail braised for five hours, puddings adorned with his trademark caramel spring, pig's trotters, grilled scallops with black puddings and other rich treats.
And Jean-Christophe is back working every hour that God gives him. For him, it's the only way to be. 'My mind has to be occupied constantly. I lead a full life at the moment and I'm happy. I don't have any specific objective at the moment; in fact, I always knew I could cook well but I never planned to be the best chef. As long as I know I'm not wasting my time I'm OK.'
So it's back up the hill to Brocket Hall where we photograph J-C in a pin-striped suit holding an umbrella in the shower of the Prince Regent Suite. 'I'd rather do this than be bored,' he laughs, although we all know he's secretly longing to get back to the kitchen.
How to cook like a frenchman...
Stock up on...
Tinned tomatoes - 'These are great for sauces,' says Jean-Christophe. 'Add a little sugar to them; it helps replicate the effect of an intense Mediterranean sun. This also applies to veg such as aubergine, peppers and courgette.'
Olive tapenade - 'A useful addition to so many dishes. Use it in dressings instead of mustard.'
Noilly Prat - 'Essential for fish dishes. I like to sauté chopped shallots and mushrooms, add Noilly Prat and let
it reduce, then add fish stock and cream to make a wonderful sauce.'
Meaux mustard - 'Great for sauces and dressings, but use only a little: it has a powerful flavour. Proportion and balance are so important in cooking.'
Roquefort cheese - 'I add this to hot pasta at the last minute. But it mustn't be cooked, just slowly melted, or it will become oily and bitter.'
Low-fat crème fraîche - 'This brings the perfect coating consistency to pasta sauces, and I like to add it to tomato sauces, too. Again, don't cook it, just add it at the last minute.'
Pancetta - 'Slice thinly and season with ground Szechuan pepper (no salt), place between slices of clingfilm and beat until very thin. Dry in a low oven, then use as a fabulous garnish.'
Star anise - 'This goes wonderfully well with caramel and apples.'
Cardamom - 'This spice is excellent with fruits, but is also good with savoury dishes. Crush a few seeds, infuse in olive oil, then drizzle over pan-fried fish.'
Vanilla pods - 'Vanilla goes well with everything from custards to sea bass. Try scraping the seeds from the pod and mixing with oil to use as a marinade for scallops. Then just sear them in a hot pan. Amazing.'
Aubergines - 'So versatile. Chop up roasted aubergines for pasta sauces or slice and grill on toast with goat's cheese. Alternatively, scoop out the middle (chop and use in a sauce), then stuff the skins with couscous, salmon and cheese, and bake.'
What to cook with...
Le Creuset saucepans and terrines - 'This classic French kitchenware is a pleasure to use and gets great results.'
A Moulinex Multimix for making bread and mousses - 'For me, it's like having an extra chef.'
How to cook...
Take it nice and slowly - 'You can't rush French food. And cook with anticipation - think ahead to the next meal. At home, I like to prepare things that take two or three hours to cook, then serve them the next day.'