Copper commission for a 2 star Michelin chef
All modesty aside, we have a lot of great ideas, which we turn into products. Our small and talented team have all sorts of skills that contribute to the design of cookware products that we know will not only look good, but become the most used and loved items in other people’s kitchens.
And those kitchens range from basic outdoor setups, to the domestic kitchens of everyone from students to families and even bed and breakfast hosts, they sit on the hob and in the ovens of food writers and photographers, your dinner may have been cooked in one at a restaurant and they are even used on the sets of TV shows around the world. Three blini pans once made their stage debut with Kristin Scott Thomas, but that’s a whole other story https://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk/Kristin-Scott-Thomas
But we do work in collaboration with others to incorporate their requirements into our designs, or maybe even get back to the drawing board. After all, when someone like Gareth Ward, holder of 2 Michelin stars at Ynyshir restaurant in Wales invites you for a chat, it pays to listen!
“What would you like to see?”, we asked. “Just bring everything”, said Gareth, not realising that would have needed a considerably bigger car! So we loaded up a fine selection of iron and copper wares that showcased all the shapes and sizes that we make and headed west over the Welsh border.
Of course we had looked up the restaurant on line beforehand, who wouldn’t? But we still were not entirely prepared for the impact of driving through the entrance and up the short drive to see the transient beauty of a magnolia tree, the pale pink of candy floss, rising from a startlingly green lawn and contrasting dramatically with the stark and striking dark grey building.
We rang the doorbell and were ushered in, past the rack of fur coats, yes really, and into a lounge with wonderful views across open countryside. The entire interior is painted in deep, deep shades of grey, but the effect is never oppressive or dull, simply confident and comfortable in its own style.
Before long, it looked more like Santa’s grotto on Christmas morning, as each box was unpacked and its contents unwrapped. Practically knee deep in brown paper, we presented cookware of all shapes and sizes, while Gareth critically appraised each piece as if it were going on sale at Sothebys.
Some not inconsiderable time later, only some of the selection was back in the original boxes and several pieces had already been installed in the restaurant kitchen. Cue “oohs and aahs” and cartoon heart eyes from the kitchen staff. Heading in the opposite direction, from kitchen to car was one of Gareth’s favourite pans, used exclusively for scallop gravy according to the sticker on the outside. This was for us to take back to the workshops as a template for a new copper saucepan; we had shown Gareth one that was close, but not close enough. At this level of cooking, the finer details are of paramount importance.
Back in the workshops, we set to and created 8 special pans to Gareth's specification. Admittedly there were one or two false starts, but if you don’t try, you don’t learn. We are honing our skills all the time. We are also resolute in the face of obstacles, so when we could only buy copper squares, rather than discs, we cut our own. Never was the phrase “measure twice, cut once” more needed.
As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child and it takes a team to make a pan. These pans were produced by the combined efforts of Neil, Michelle, Colin, Ryan, Graham and Mandy.
Watch the pans being made:
Once the team were happy with their labours, it was time to get back in the car. Unable to resist the opportunity to go back to such a stunning location, we delivered the new pans in person.
And what a treat – watching the unwrapping was the best pass the parcel scene ever.
Getting more of a look around Gareth’s gaff was the icing on the cake, including a peek inside the "salt cellar", where meat and fish for the restaurant are dried and aged.
Follow the photos and retrace our steps to reveal the finished pans. And then keep watching as even more exciting plans are afoot.
Replicas of Gareth's Ynyshir specification pans are now available to special order, Click here to buy and see more information.
If you want to book a table at Ynyshir, possibly stay a night or just dream about the sublime experience: Click here
Travel to the far coast of Wales. Take your time. Take a day or two. Arrive with your mind open, ready for an immersive culinary experience in our home. Expect our DJ curating the music, the theatre of the kitchen taking centre stage. Expect fire, intense world flavours and the best meat and fish from around the globe. Be aware that Ynyshir is possibly not the best place for a business meeting or an intimate first date, but perfect for that exciting second one!
