Charles chef quits for The Duchy pub (with HRH’s valet)
IT’S a story of Royal coincidences so remarkable that Prince Charles might find it all rather difficult to digest.
First, the Prince’s personal head chef Visen Anenden surprisingly quit his prestigious job in the Royal Household – to work in a London pub called The Duchy Arms.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, it was revealed that the Prince’s trusted valet Tim McCandless was financially backing the pub – which will serve some of Charles’s favourite meals.
And, to complete the astonishing series, the whole enterprise is taking place on land owned by Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, while the pub sign even features 15 gold coins – exactly like the Duchy’s crest.
Mr Anenden, who was previously based at Charles’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, is due to take up the head chef role at the gastropub in Kennington, South London, later this week. The revamped menu will be available from September.
A source tells me: ‘The menu at The Duchy Arms will have some of Charles’s favourites on it, including mutton, which Visen cooks with spring vegetables and cultivated mushrooms.’
In a further nod to the pub’s Royal connections, the lavatories will bear the names Duke and Duchess, according to sources.
Although Mr McCandless is investing in the project – along with businessman Kowsar Hoque – he will continue to serve Prince Charles. ‘I am a silent partner,’ Mr McCandless, 43, told me. ‘I am an investor in Vis. Vis wants to move on to a new challenge and wants to realise his potential and that is a great opportunity for us.
‘We are all local residents – we live in Kennington. Previously The Duchy was an ordinary pub that did not do food but this is a changing area. There’s lots of development going on and Vis sees the potential. We thought it was a great opportunity when this pub came on the market. It has great potential.’
A spokesman for the Prince said: ‘Visen has left the Prince of Wales’s employ and it was all very amicable.
‘Tim is involved in the business, but he is not leaving the Prince of Wales’s team.’
I gather that Charles has called upon his friend, Italian restaurateur Antonio Carluccio, to help him find a replacement chef.