Marion Sauvebois meets Andy Routledge, The Golden Cross Inn’s new head chef and finds out about his stint feeding Fleet Street’s hacks.

FOR YEARS catering to Fleet Street’s most ferocious food critics and high-profile editors in the Daily Telegraph dining hall was the norm for Andy Routledge.

Undaunted by the caliber of diners sampling his fare, he stuck his head down, satisfying the fussy palates of some of the most influential pundits in the restaurant industry.

And yet, when time came to serve a much tougher crowd - his neighbours and good people of Cirencester - as The Golden Cross head chef, the collected father-of-three suddenly began to feel the pressure.

“I felt a massive pressure to fill the previous chef’s shoes and I still do now,” he said.

“My goal was to get the kitchen organized and push it forward. We are pretty close to where it should be.

“At the Telegraph the editors and critics were just another customer; I didn’t see anyone, I was in the kitchen. If I had been cooking for them and seen them face to face it probably would have been a lot more stressful. I love a smaller kitchen and the contact with the customers but at the same time there is some pressure.”

As executive chef for the Telegraph Media Group between 2006 and 2009, he designed menus and ensured his team plated up an average of 3,500 meals a day (“If we were lucky”). He would also concoct a private lunch once a week for former editor William Lewis.

“I cooked for all sorts and the editor at the time, Will Lewis, often had important visitors including politicians, TV people and film stars,” Andy revealed. “Mark Palmer was the restaurant critic then, while Xanthe Clay was the food writer – both were regular visitors to the dining room.

“Working in London, especially at the Telegraph, was a special time in my career and while I enjoyed my time there, I have always been more comfortable closer to home.”

Andy was born and raised in Fairford; his father who was part of the RAF was stationed at Brize Norton. He trained at Cheltenham College before joining his first kitchen at the Five Alls in Filkins near Lechlade. On followed jobs in Westonbirt and a sous-chef position at The Bull in Fairford before Andy was appointed executive chef at the Telegraph in 2006.

Keen to return to his roots, he relocated to the Cotswolds to redesign and open the kitchen at The Railway Inn in his hometown. This led to similar roles at The Radnor Arms in Coleshill, Oxfordshire, followed by The Vines at Black Bourton near Burford.

When he was invited to run the kitchen at Arkell’s Golden Cross Inn at the end of December, he jumped at the chance to make his mark to the menu and spread his 'simple fresh food' philosophy.

“There have been some great chefs in that kitchen over the years and I just hope that I can deliver to their standards,” added the 41-year-old. “I want to fill the specials board with great seasonal dishes every day, and cooking with fresh ingredients and the region’s excellent produce is really important to me.”

His signature pork three ways –consisting of slow-roasted belly, pan-fried loin, bread-crumbed black pudding with caramelised apple and Savoy cabbage- is already proving a hit at the Black Jack Street eatery as is the tea-smoked duck breast with raspberry sauce.

“I just cook what I would want to eat when I go out: simple, fresh, uncomplicated food. I think this is where some chefs go wrong. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

“It’s been hard work but we made the new menu less complicated. I’m quite proud of what we’ve achieved. What we try to do is keep it nice and simple but with a little bit of a twist. The menu is seasonal so it will keep evolving.”

This has meant an increased focus on seafood, a favourite of Andy’s.

His partiality for Asian cuisine has also seeped into the daily offerings.

“I’ve always loved Asian food. Being classically trained in the French style, you take three core ingredients and start from there; but in Asia you take 13 or 14 ingredients before you’ve even started. There are all these herbs and the spices.”

Despite this infatuation with Thai and Chinese food, it is Italian gastronomy he turns to after a long day.

“My favourite is spaghetti Bolognese – but made by my wife Gemma.”

The Golden Cross is open for breakfast in the new Stable Bar on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10am. For more information or to book a table call 01285 652137 or visit www.goldencrossinn.com.