His approach at the Brompton pub would appear to owe more to his time at Fergus Henderson’s St John Street establishment than at Andoni Luis Aduriz’s techno emotional San Sebastián restaurant with a menu centered around traditional British food.
The Hour Glass has also recruited a new general manager. Brett Hardy has a CV that includes spells with Mark Hix, Antony Worrall Thompson and Alex Aitken.
Key suppliers include Huntsham Court Farm and Taste Tradition for meat and Chegworth Valley and Forge Farms for fruit and vegetables.
“My approach to the menu is one that is ingredient driven and pared back," says Marsh. "The quality of produce begins with a producer. From the moment a fish is landed, a seed is planted or an animal is born, the time and effort that these producers take to care for these ingredients really shows in the end result.”
Marsh’s menu is simple but is intended to be less “puby” than its predecessor. The menu changes daily but example dishes include Jerusalem artichoke soup with crispy lardo; pig’s head terrine and piccalilli; Aylesbury duck breast, dripping carrots and watercress; whole lemon sole, brown butter, lemon and capers; and poached pear, clotted cream and crumble.
Housed within a prominent art deco building, the pub has been refurbished to mimic the era, with bespoke gold and glass arched shelving, curved glass lighting and accented mirrored walls.