IN CONVERSATION WITH RICK TOOGOOD

Founder and Head Chef at Prawn on the Lawn

Where did your journey with seafood begin?

I grew up in Guernsey,and as a kid was obsessed with going to the fish market with mum and grandmother, I was like a kid in a sweet shop.

Did you always envisage working with seafood?

It wasn’t the original plan, at university I studied design, working in China for six-months, it didn’t take me long to conclude that I wasn’t suited to sitting behind a desk, I started working in a restaurant and soon realised fish was my thing. For Katie she was working in the music industry, looking after big name music artists, and it was our combined love of food that lead us to starting our own business.

What was your vision behind POTL?  

Prawn on the Lawn was one of those ventures that grew naturally; we started out predominantly as a fishmonger with eight bar seats where you could eat fresh-oysters, a whole crab or lobster with a glass of wine/fizz whilst you waited. Quickly the food offering became super-popular and it developed into a restaurant.  With a wide variety of sea fare available, sharing dishes was a natural route to take so you could sample many different types of seafood, along with styles of cooking. We also have stuck to the principle which motivated us in starting our own business,which was to create a place we enjoyed working in, our staff enjoyed, and customers loved coming to, if any of these things aren’t apparent, we know there’s an issue and we quickly resolve it.

What is your ethos behind the small plates you create? 

We make sure we let the fish/seafood do the talking.  Each plate must have that punch of flavour, and always making sure it’s well balanced – we definitely don’t want our diners to leave feeling heavy or bloated, we’d like them to feel inspired by the dishes they’ve sampled. 

Where do you find inspiration within your cooking? 

From all areas really, our travels are a huge source of inspiration, we live to eat and drink and visit different places each year for inspiration.  Being led by the producers that we work with; different ingredients are available throughout the year, with fish/seafood being seasonal too.

What was the catalyst for a starting up POTL in Padstow? 

We were sourcing a lot of our produce from Cornwall, and to ensure the quality being transported to London, it made sense to be closer to the source.  We also realised that there was no other restaurant offering our style of sharing-plates and varied cuisine.

What inspired you to move from London to Padstow?

As mentioned above, the connection with our producers, and it’s a stunning place to live.

To what extent do you feel your location on the north Cornish coast, in a historic fishing port, influences your dishes?  

Certainly working so closely with our suppliers such as Johnny Murt who catches our crabs, Ross Geach at Padstow Kitchen Garden, Cornish Chilli farm, Cornish Mushroom Co, Trevibban Mill vineyard, Padstow Brewing Co, Porthilly Shellfish have all influenced us.  Its so refreshing to have a proper relationship with the people who are providing your produce/product.

Where would you say your main influences come from? 

I’d say most definitely our travels around the globe. 

 Why do you think Padstow is such a great destination for foodies?  

There’s a huge density of quality restaurants that you just don’t find anywhere else on the coast.

Please could you describe the style, design and general vibe of POTL?  How do the London and Padstow restaurants differ?  

We’ve designed both restaurants to reflect the fact that you are eating within a fishmonger. White metro tiles, exposed bricks, informal bar seating, white marble fish slab and a slight industrial feel are apparent in both.  It helps create a more informal vibe in the restaurant.

 What do you feel people take with them, after experiencing your food?  

The key thing is that it is an experience and not just a meal. Tasting such varied sea fare,you wouldn’t normally get to try, as well as cuts of fish you wouldn’t normally see in a restaurant, all with exciting garnishes and sauces. The service embodies this, being lively and knowledgeable.

What is your most popular dish and why do you think it has the appeal it does? 

Scallops with our Thai marinade – I learnt the technique of roasting the scallop in the shell with a marinade from a street-seller in Bangkok.  It helps bring out the flavour of the scallop whilst hitting your mouth with an assault on your taste buds.

 Where do you source your produce/drinks?  

Pretty much everything is sourced locally,from Cornwall. 

What makes POTL stand apart?

We build our menu on a daily-basis,from the fish we get from the day boats - the menu can change up to six or seven times a day. We truly support local growers and producers. You can’t miss the fisherman/farmers walking into the restaurant throughout the day!

 What was your inspiration behind your venture with Barnaby’s? 

At Prawn on the Lawn, we only serve fish, and often there are members of people’s parties that won’t or can’t eat it.  It gave us a chance to work with Warren’s butchers, serving the highest quality meat that Cornwall has, as well as making some of the veg the star of the show. Everything is cooked on a big wood-fired oven called Bertha, with a slight leaning towards Middle Eastern flavours.

How do you juggle running three separate ventures?  

We have such a great team in all of our restaurants, we work full time between the two in Padstow, and head up to London once a month to catch up with the team in Islington. We staff split across all three too, so it gives individuals a chance to learn from others.

 How do you spend your time off, with regards to enjoying your surrounds on the north Cornish coast?  

We have two energetic dogs, so we go for long coastal walks. The scenery and beaches are breathtaking, in the summer you can mistakenly think you’re on an exotic holiday!  We’re always exploring the county, finding new places and restaurants we haven’t yet sampled.

Could you ever see yourself living anywhere other than Cornwall, now that you have made the transition?  

Not in a million years! We’re here for long haul!

 Anything you miss about living in London? 

The sheer variety of eateries - someone needs to do an Indian takeaway in Padstow! As well as a bar that’s open after 11pm, a cheeky post work pint would be much appreciated!

 Favourite dishes you like to cook/serve?  

Such a tough one as we’ve done over 200 different dishes over the last few years, but the simple ones are always the best, floured and deep-fried red mullet, lemon and olive oil.  That’s all you need, with a glass of Muscadet, oh and some Porthilly oysters too!

If you had to sum up POTL in three words, what would they be?

Creative | exciting | fresh

 What one piece of advice would you offer fellow restaurateurs, aspiring to uproot to the Westcountry? 

Get stuck in to the community, and support all your local suppliers as much as possible.

 Do you have any future ambitions or goals to expand/collaborate within what you already offer?

We’ll no doubt do something else at some point, but we couldn’t tell you what - when we have an idea and the right site is there, we just go for it, we know when we both feel the excitement and instant passion for something,that it’s right.

Thank you Rick, you’re a true inspiration - Katie, and the team at Prawn on the Lawn too!

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