Chef Margot Henderson was 10 when she threw her first party, a birthday celebration for her younger brother Robin, then 5, in their hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. “Our mother was a complete health nut who fed us apple cider vinegar and honey,” Henderson recalls. “I wouldn’t let my brother suffer like I did! I made a whole spread of oranges and jelly and cooked snails from the garden with garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs.’
This innate talent for hospitality would become the foundation of Henderson’s four-decade career in restaurants, which began when he moved to England in 1984, soon working in some of London’s most prestigious kitchens. In the early 90s, she met her future husband, chef Fergus Henderson, 60 today, when he served her a pigeon and pea dish at a pop-up restaurant where he was cooking. “It was perfect.” says Henderson, 59. “I fell for his food and for him. It also helped me determine how I wanted to cook, which is slow and gentle.” The couple, who have been married for more than 30 years and have three children together, share a bold, elegant approach to cooking that emphasizes the quality of their ingredients and their respective empires — Fergus runs the three St. Johns who focus on meat London? Henderson runs the Rochelle Canteen restaurant, also in London, and the catering company Arnold & Henderson with her business partner, Melanie Arnold — they helped define modern English cuisine.
When the pandemic forced the closure of Rochelle Canteen’s second outpost, at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, in 2020, Henderson was ready for a new challenge, and her longtime friend, investor and former gallerist Max Wigram, came to her with a proposal. That same year, Wigram, who lives between London and Somerset with his wife, the fashion designer Phoebe Philo, had bought the Three Horseshoes pub, a 17th-century former inn in the Somerset village of Batcombe, two hours’ drive south-west of London. As well as recruiting local talent such as interior designer Frances Penn, who redesigned the pub’s five cozy bedrooms, and landscape gardener Libby Russell, who planted herbs and wildflowers in the surrounding gardens, Wigram enlisted Henderson to oversee the kitchen . “I’ve always dreamed of owning a country pub,” says Henderson, who now commutes between London and a flat in Bruton, Somerset. Since opening last April, the pub has drawn crowds for its menu of hearty dishes such as rabbit pie and roast beef stew, as well as the warm simplicity of the dining room, with its flagstone floor, 19th-century rustic furniture and the large fireplace.
On a breezy December afternoon, the mood inside was festive. Sprigs of mistletoe hung from the ceiling and Christmas wreaths adorned the doors. The occasion was a winter solstice lunch — a meal, as Henderson put it, “to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.” As guests entered the pub’s low-ceilinged bar, they were greeted with glasses of Prosecco and plates of freshly shucked Maldon oysters served with lemon. At 2pm, the group went to the private dining room for lunch, and by dusk, when taxis arrived to pick up some of the attendees, the meal was still in full swing. “That’s what I like about parties,” Henderson said as she poured a glass of red wine for a friend. “The more chaos and mayhem, the more fun.”
Attendees: The Hendersons and Wigram, 57, invited friends from the food world – including chef Lee Tiernan, 47, a graduate of St. John, and his wife, Kate, 43, who run the restaurant Formerly known as Black Ax Mangal. Paris-based chef Rose Chalalai Singh, 43, a frequent collaborator of Henderson’s; and restaurateur Geoffrey Leong, 47 — as well as jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge, 62, and her husband, Murray Partridge, 65. artist Kate Boxer, 62, and her husband, Charlie Boxer, 61, who owns South London deli Italo. and interior designer and furniture dealer Jermaine Gallacher, 34.
The table: In Henderson’s 2012 cookbook, You’re All Invited, she lays out her rules for dressing a table: “Flowers and candles are best low so they don’t block anyone’s view. Tables should be long, narrow and not too wide so that people can actually be together. The most important thing is that your guests have fun. Just keep it simple and don’t get too fancy.” Accordingly, the communal table in the private dining room was draped with a white linen tablecloth and decorated with yellow candlesticks and vases of blooming holly, old man’s beard and berries picked from the gardens.
The food: Henderson designed the menu with the pub’s head chef, Nye Smith, 33, intending it as a showcase of the best local, seasonal produce – or “a feast of birds falling from the sky and roots pushing up from the earth”. as she called it. For an appetizer, guests were served steaming hot game broth. This was followed by plates of sourdough bread, butter and langoustines with mayonnaise and lemon halves. Mains were a whole pumpkin baked to an almost caramel-like texture and a huge clay dish of game pie topped with golden, crispy pastry. “It’s all very simple,” said Henderson, “We wanted to let the ingredients speak for themselves.” For the cheese course, one of the guests, Tom Culver, 42, the head cheesemaker at nearby Westcombe Dairy, had brought a huge round of cheddar that Henderson described as “almost the size of a Glastonbury rock”. Dessert was a sticky tart served with dollops of quince sorbet. Later, the few guests staying at the pub were served a late-night snack of toasted cheese and onion sandwiches, bags of crisps and pints of organic cider.
The drinks: After an introduction by Henderson, Luca Dusi, 49, the owner of the Italian winery Passione Vino, who regularly works with the groups at St. John and at the Rochelle Canteen, he spoke to guests about the selection of Italian wines for lunch. He had chosen a refreshing blend of Pinot Blanc and Riesling to pair with the langoustines. For the main course, he had chosen two different reds from northern Italy – a medium-bodied, earthy one from the Valtellina region and a more intense, aromatic one produced in Val d’Aosta. A sweet Riesling dessert wine accompanied the dessert tart.
The conversation: One of the guests, Charles Dowding, 64, a local market gardener who supplied the beetroot, celery and parsnips roasted with the pumpkin, told several guests about the “no dig” growing technique he helped pioneer – a low-intervention, sustainable approach to gardening that has earned him a large following on YouTube. Given the proximity to the holidays, holiday plans were also discussed: the Partridges were planning to stay in Somerset for Christmas, Gallagher was bound for Marrakech and the Hendersons were planning a trip to Thailand with Singh in the New Year.
Music: “I love the sound of people talking, so music always has to come later,” Henderson said. After the dishes were cleared, the night’s guests put on a playlist that included Nina Simone, Beyoncé, Van Morrison and Prince.
The recipe for Henderson’s treacle tart: Since it was introduced to the menu, this buttery, gourmet dessert consisting of a short crust base and a filling made of kale, breadcrumbs and lemon, has been one of the most sought after at Three Horseshoes. “There’s something so English about a tress tart,” says Henderson, “and I find it very hard to resist.” To make the shortcrust pastry, mix together 500g plain flour, 250g unsalted butter and 1½ teaspoons salt in a mixer until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, whisk 2 eggs and ¼ cup cold water in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour and egg mixtures together, being careful not to overwork. Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge or freeze it for at least a few hours to relax. Roll out the dough and line a tart form with it. Bake blind, making sure the pastry is cooked through. To make the filling, first heat 115 grams of butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat until the butter turns brown. Then melt 900 grams of golden syrup (if you can’t find it, try maple syrup) in a saucepan over low heat and add the brown butter. Whisk 3 eggs and 125g of heavy cream together in a large bowl before slowly adding the syrup and butter mixture and folding in 170g of breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon of salt and the juice of 2 lemons. Fill the tart with the breadcrumb mixture and bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes and then at 280 degrees for 12 minutes. Serve with either good heavy cream or crème fraîche.