In the fifth episode of On the Pass, The Morning Advertiser (MA) heads to the Wigmore at The Langham hotel in London, to meet executive sous chef Oliver Wadham.
Wadham’s career has taken him through Michelin starred restaurants, private cheffing and running his own restaurant before joining The Langham, where he now oversees food operations across the hotel.
The Wigmore was born from the idea of combining Michel Roux Jr.’s Michelin-starred pedigree with classic British pub food and the resources of a luxury hotel.
Its signature dishes include a foot-long three cheese toastie made with raclette, Ogleshield and Montgomery’s cheddar, and a Scotch egg served with dal and mint yoghurt and coated in crisp vermicelli.
Watch episode five:
Familiar, but elevated
In the episode, Wadham discusses how the Wigmore approaches familiar pub dishes without overcomplicating them.
He says: “I think chefs quite often get lost in trying to be overly creative, and then you lose the point of what you’re trying to do in the first place.”
For Wadham, customers should still feel comfortable with what they see on a pub menu.
“I don’t think there’s anything worse than coming to a pub and feeling alienated by the menu that you’re presented.”
He also discusses why the Wigmore’s toastie has become such a fixture, linking its popularity to the nostalgia of a familiar dish being taken to a level customers would struggle to recreate at home.
Five star pub
Wadham also explores what the Wigmore gains from being part of The Langham, including access to suppliers, chefs, space and wider hotel infrastructure. The relationship also gives the pub greater flexibility when it comes to pricing.
He says: “In order to keep the Wigmore’s price accessible to a lot of our hotel guests, we make less in certain areas so that we can keep prices down.”
Wadham says this helps prevent the pub from outpricing its local customer base while maintaining the quality expected from a five star operation.
Despite its hotel setting, he believes authenticity remains central to the offer. Asked what luxury hotels could learn from pubs, he says: “From a corporate world, it’s quite hard to replicate passion.”
Meanwhile, on what pubs can take from five star hospitality, he adds: “Look after your staff, and they’ll look after you.”
Watch the full episode above, or on YouTube here.
Missed the previous eps?
The next episode of On the Pass will head to the Mutton at Hazeley Heath to meet chef Rob Boer, followed by chef patron Mike Shaw at the Freemason Arms in Clitheroe.
- To take part in an episode of On the Pass please contact MA news editor Phoebe Fraser, here.
