It's been 10 years since Mark Hix began writing his weekly food column for this magazine, an anniversary we'll be celebrating in next week's bumper food and drink-themed issue. Over the past decade, the quietly influential Mr Hix has changed the way we eat, though he'd be much too modest to make that claim for himself. Meanwhile his restaurants, with their clever mix of traditional comfort and contemporary art, have supplied the template for many a copycat dining room.
The Hix effect has now spread to the wilds of north Norfolk, with the installation of two Hix alumni – former head chef Stuart Tattersall and his partner, restaurant manager Simone Baker – in a very groovy country pub.
The Gunton Arms, which lies in acres of pristine Georgian deer park a few miles south of Cromer, is a labour of love for its owner, London art dealer Ivor Braka. The colourful Mr Braka has friends in high places, ranging from the Camerons to our own Mark Hix. Over the past 20 years he has poured some of the vast amounts he's earned selling Bacons and Freuds into restoring Gunton Park.
Last year he added the estate's run-down pub to his portfolio, and set about transforming it into a kind of rock'n'roll hunting lodge, filled with overspill pieces from his amazing collection of modern art. Turning to Mark Hix for help on the food side, he was introduced to Tattersall and Baker, and Mark promptly lost two key members of staff.
Read more http://www.independent.co.uk
Read more http://www.independent.co.uk
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