“Respect everything, waste nothing. That’s my mantra,” Jon Parry, new head chef at The White Hart Wytham tells me, sitting in the historic courtyard on his first day in the job.
Specialising in top-to-toe butchery, pickling, smoking, foraging and open-fire cookery, Jon’s all about using seasonal produce in as many ways as possible. And having made a name for himself at the award-winning The Mash Inn in Bucks, he’s raring to go.
“I didn’t want to leave The Mash until the right thing hit me. I feel like all my training has led me here. I’m here for the long haul”
So why move from the award winning Mash Inn and choose The White Hart Wytham to make his mark? “Wytham is in such a beautiful village and so close to Oxford, it’s awesome. So when I saw the White Hart it fitted immediately,” the ambitious chef tells me. “It ticked all the boxes.”
“The bare bones of an incredible pub are already here. I want to turn The White Hart into something really special”
“I didn’t want to leave The Mash until the right thing hit me, so I feel like all my training has led me here. I’m here for the long haul. The bare bones of an incredible pub are already here. I want to turn The White Hart into something really special,” he promises.
As soon as Jon sat down with Baz Butcher the landlord to talk it through, they realised instantly they were on the same page.
Baz had been to The Mash Inn when Jon was head chef and counts his meal there as one of his favourites, so when Jon’s CV pinged into his inbox, he knew it was the right fit.
despite gaining a Masters in Astrophysics, Jon couldn’t resist the lure of the kitchen
“We are thrilled that Jon is joining us and we hope he will help fulfil our original vision – to roast, smoke, pickle and cure, with dishes that reflect the geography and history of everything we do here,” Baz explains.
And when you hear Jon waxing lyrical about food you know Baz has found the right man for the job. “My shelves are full of vinegars, sugars, salts, sherbets, oils and alcohols so that when I’m concocting a dish, I already have a larder full of possibilities, like an apothecary, which means you won’t find my dishes anywhere else,” Jon says.
Jon learned to cook with his grandmother Jacqueline, who’s name is tattooed on his inner arm. His grandparents ran pubs and he grew up watching them at work and despite gaining a Masters in Astrophysics, Jon couldn’t resist the lure of the kitchen.
“| love the discipline, the hard work, the stress. I thrive on it. I love what I do”
His first job was at Tom Aitkens in London, then onto The Bull and Last in Highgate and after with Adam Byatt at Trinity Restaurant, before joining The Mash Inn as head chef.
So what does Jon love so much about cooking? “I love the discipline, the hard work, even the stress. I thrive on it. I’ve never been good at 9-5. I love what I do. What is it they say? Find a job you love and you will never have to work again?”
With the White Hart’s official opening next Thursday (May 12), Jon is busy sourcing his staff, suppliers and menus as he prepares to open in style. His menus are whimsical, nostalgic, bucolic even, and we cannot wait to try his food.
“WHAT IS IT THEY SAY? FIND A JOB YOU LOVE AND YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN”
So is he excited? “It will be really fun to go back to the drawing board and really celebrate food. I want The White Hart Wytham to be a shining beacon, to put Oxford on the map. It’s all doable,” ,” he says before heading back to the kitchens. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with!
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW. For more info or to book go to https://whitehartwytham.com
