Western Morning News 11:00 - 05 January 2006

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After years on the QE2, former ship's head chef Robert Vogel has now transferred his talents to the Westcountry. Petra Mann spoke to him

His culinary masterpieces have delighted royalty, the rich and the famous. As head chef on the luxurious QE2, Robert Vogel has sated the appetite of Her Majesty The Queen among many others.

Today, Robert, 42, and his wife Mairead, 47, are the driving force behind Cornwall's Lamplighter restaurant in Probus, near Truro. The couple moved from Norfolk six months ago to run their new venture because of good quality local produce.

Mrs Vogel said: "We came because of the incredibly high standard of local produce. Robert is cooking some of the best meat he has ever worked with. But it's not only the meat - the fish and seafood is just wonderful down in the Westcountry and the fruit and vegetables mouthwatering.

"My husband is very fussy about the ingredients he uses. Not only does it have to taste the very best it can, it also has to look good on the plate. And of course the Westcountry is such a beautiful part of the world. Who wouldn't want to live here?"

A farm shop close to the 300-year-old restaurant on Fore Street provides the couple with much of their stock.

Mrs Vogel said: "When we came to have a look at the place before we bought it, we couldn't believe our luck to have found somewhere with a farm shop within a stone's throw. We really are spoilt here."

Mrs Vogel said trade over the past six months has been brisk. Mr Vogel is a member of the prestigious craft guild of chefs and the couple have been in the restaurant business for the past nine years.

The Lamplighter is their third restaurant.

Before running their business in Norfolk they ran a restaurant in Devon. Mrs Vogel said: "It's extremely important to buy local produce because local suppliers have to be supported. Quite often customers will ask where the meat or fish comes from before they order from the menu. I love being able to tell them it's all local produce."

Among the local suppliers for the restaurant are: Trudgian Farm Shop, Probus, for meat, cheeses, organic herbs, vegetables and fruits; Celtic Fish and Game, St Ives; S &J Fisheries, Plymouth; South Coast Fish, Redruth; Mrs Moule, Falmouth for oysters and mussels; Hendy's Fruit and Veg, Helston; and West Country Fine Foods, at Newton Abbot for general and specialised products.

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