When Hurricane Darren blew in to The Old Bank in Swindon

ONE fateful day last spring, award-winning chef Darren Booker-Wilson marched into The Old Bank like a victor come to claim his territory and announced, “I’m ready.”

Needless to say, owner Manni Madhani was rather taken aback.

Four months on, Darren’s bravado has earned him the title of head chef. And he has wasted no time in introducing a gourmet twist to the Old Town eatery’s fare, unlike anything ever plated in its kitchen.

“The place had so much potential and I was ready for a change,” recalls the 42-year-old chef with a grin.

“I had done my research and I knew Swindon was missing somewhere with nice creams teas and lunches and somewhere completely different at night with dishes like fresh tuna steak and stone bass; but that wasn’t too expensive. I knew I could do it at The Old Bank.”

Although seemingly impulsive, his takeover was months in the making.

Darren was hankering after a new challenge in Newbury when a recruiter mentioned The Old Bank.

He met Manni but no firm negotiations took place. Nearly six months went by and it seemed the door had shut on a potential partnership.

Meanwhile, at a loss to recruit a suitable chef to capture customers’ fancy Manni began seriously contemplating closing the kitchen and rebranding The Old Bank as a bar.

The next day, in the nick of time, Darren waltzed in, refusing to take no for an answer and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We found it difficult to find a very good chef over the years,” admits Manni. “I was considering knocking the food on the head.

“I was actually talking to a friend about this and the next day Darren walked through the door. I remember his exact words were, ‘I’ve done my research on the town and there is nowhere else for me to do what I do. I like this place and I want to take it to the next level’. That was music to my ears. We sat down and within an hour we said, ‘let’s give it a go’.

His tenacity and stubbornness have served Darren well over the years.

Born in Sunderland, he was introduced to the joys of baking by his grandmother. All the while he lent a hand in his grandfather’s allotment, learning about freshly grown produce in the process.

“I loved it,” he enthuses. “I always enjoyed art and food is art: you can change your style on the plate, make it look really appealing. “ Against his father’s advice, he enrolled in a catering youth training scheme at the age of 15 but was forced to take odds jobs in clothing shops and at the local Co-Op butcher’s awaiting a placement.

“It was not fashionable to be a chef then,” he explains. “It was classed as a drop-out job. My father advised me not to do it, because it’s hard, a lot of long hours. Of course I didn’t listen to him.”

Determined to learn from the best, the industrious teenager tracked down his idols, Michelin star chefs John Connell and Terry Laybourne, and convinced them to hire him as a commis in their grand kitchens on his days off.

“It was hard work; I used to work all the hours I possibly could. You just learn on the job.”

He went on to assist The Great British Menu’s David Sharland and enjoyed a spell at Dubai’s The Burj Al Arab, otherwise known as the world’s most luxurious hotel.

He eventually settled down in Berkshire and proceeded to refine his skills at Donnington Valley Hotel and The Vineyard at Stockcross.

After a brief foray into the corporate world as head chef for Vodafone in Newbury, he gave in once more to the lure of “real kitchens”.

“I missed the buzz of day-to-day cooking,” adds the father-of-three.

“I missed doing something different every day, being adventurous with menus.”

He launched his own restaurant, Document House, in Newbury, where he honed the gourmet grazing concept he has now introduced to Old Bank diners.

“It was smaller portions at a smaller price,” he explains.

“We wanted to make this type of fine dining food affordable. You couldn’t find anything like it outside London and it was usually very expensive there. This was a new idea in Newbury. And that’s what I’m doing at The Old Bank.”

When his business partner and neighbour moved abroad, he left the venture to take the helm at The Newbury Manor where he achieved two rosettes.

Before turning his sights to Swindon he took over The Newbury Pub. Under his leadership it was named Michelin’s West Berkshire Gastro Pub 2015.

Whether catering to the Dubaian elite’s every whim or serving up rare steak to Newbury’s denizens, Darren has adopted the same simple approach to his craft: less is more.

“You use four or five items tops,” he says categorically.

“You don’t want to complicate food. If people order lamb they want to be able to taste the lamb – it’s the star of the show. You can have ratatouille in there, basil mash but that’s enough.

“My food is simple with an emphasis on flavour. But people eat with their eyes so presentation has to be up there.”

The first order of business at The Old Bank was ridding the restaurant of its old fare.

As well as pioneering his grazing menu, featuring chorizo, scotch eggs and crispy chilli beef, Darren spent weeks perfecting his dinner options.

To ensure they were up to scratch and, crucially, to patrons’ taste he invited a select few to sample his concoctions. Any dish that received a lukewarm reception was duly scrapped.

Crispy pork terrine, chargrilled tuna steak Niçoise and orange and passion fruit tart are now among the firm favourites to have made the ruthless cut.

“The feedback has been phenomenal,” beams Darren.

“We have been compared to the Weighbridge on TripAdvisor. It’s so nice and so humbling. They’ve set up the standard around here for so long.”

As for Manni, he has great hopes for the restaurant post Hurricane Darren.

“We are going in the right direction,” he concludes.”I’ve never seen a chef get so involved — it’s a new dawn.”

<li>The Old Bank, 18 Wood Street, SN1 4AB. Tel: 01793 527798. www.tobb.co.uk.