The Hampstead-raised chef arrived at The Crown in July and swiftly set about putting her stamp on the menu.
With five years experience at fine dining outfit Spring at Somerset House, and an 18-month stint as head chef at East London bakery Dusty Knuckle under her belt, she’s serving up pub classics on the daily bar menu, and a more refined offer in the upstairs dining room Wednesday to Saturday – with a full pub roast takeover on Sundays.
She has also spent six “magical” months at the American Academy in Rome soaking up the ethos of “lovely ingredients done simply” and says: “Everywhere I have worked has had a social or environmental aim and a focus on people and community.
“I grew up in Hampstead so I know the area and the vibe and hopefully what people in Highgate want – I feel there aren’t many places doing this kind of food locally.”
At Dusty Knuckle, Charlotte created bold flavours in soups, salads and sandwiches with punters queued out of the door.
But she says with a smile: “My food now is the same produce-led cooking and simple flavours but it’s not between two pieces of bread – after I while I was desperate to just put food on a plate!”
A pub has stood on the High Street site for centuries but for a while the building was a Pain Quotidien bakery, before being turned back into a pub by new owners Northern Union.
Naomi Baba took over as General Manager in August and says: “I’ve worked in pubs in villages, and Highgate is such a remarkable community, quite tight knit with people who passionately care about their area – it reminds me of a village.
“It also has a lot of pubs, but it’s able to support them, and Charlotte combines amazing British local produce with attention to detail.
“Downstairs you can have a fantastic burger or sausage roll or just a quick pint on your way home, and upstairs try something a bit different.”
Charlotte’s arrival was part of a plan to offer food that was more refined and elevated – while for the chef it was a chance to have “full creative control”.
Her menu changes every two weeks, and features just five starters and mains with dishes including pork chop, cima di rapa, chickpeas and roasted chilli pepper; octopus stew with fregola, fennel and aioli; burrata with pickled squash, speck, sage, sourdough crumb, and pine nuts; or lamb skewer with sumac and pomegranate molasses.
“I would describe it as modern British with a strong Italian lean, drawing on all my experience,” she says.
“We use the same suppliers as Spring; veg supplier Shrub and AG Walter for the meat. The food is pretty and delicious and generous I hope people come away feeling it’s good value.”
She adds: “It’s long hours working as a chef but I just love feeding people and this feels exciting and really intimate, like having people in my living room.”
Naomi chimes in: “I think for the locals the price isn’t necessarily the pinch point but more are you providing good value for money?
“At a time of tight margins on food it’s priced pretty fairly for this kind of food in North London. It’s not a restaurant above a pub or a pub with a restaurant attached it all works together as one whole.”
Both agree that the Sunday roasts which range from £25-£30 for stuffed squash, pork, chicken or beef with all the trimmings are taking off.
“It’s just growing each week,” says Naomi.
“It’s becoming my favourite day of the week,” adds Charlotte. “I try and get in at 7am to put the porchetta in the oven – it feels like making a roast for my big extended family – we serve a lot of roast potatoes out of such a tiny oven.”
The Crown is at 86, Highgate High Street. www.thecrownhighgate.co.uk
