Lucy Gemmell, founder of Rhubarb Food Design

When did you first come to Menorca?

Cricket brought me to Menorca 24 years ago when I came on a cricket tour organised by James Lamb and Steve Davies. It was my first ‘summer holiday’, as my life had revolved around horses and eventing, and then Rhubarb, which meant I could never get away.

My love of cricket started when I worked for Peter and Virginia May. They had four daughters, one of whom was Junior European Eventing Champion, and I went to work with their horses. Peter May was Captain of England and Surrey, and Chairman of the MCC. There is a stand named after him at The Oval. Therefore, from a young age, horses and cricket became part of my life and now I am lucky enough to be a member of both MCCs — Menorca and Marylebone!

After my introduction to the island, I rented villas in Torret and Binixica and my children came to regard Menorca as their summer home. We had friends from West Sussex who owned villas in Santo Tomás, and my son Olly played summer cricket with their children at the Menorca Cricket Club (MCC).

Steve Davies and James Lamb set up the Los Bolas Dorados (Golden Balls) cricket team, which plays MCC every year on the 7th, 8th and 9th of September. The team is now captained by Ben Greig, owner of Bambu. As you will know, these dates coincide with the Mahón Fiesta, which led to some poor performances on the first day this year.

In 2008, I bought and renovated a country house near Sant Climent. There was plenty of land, so I was able to install my own cricket nets.

When did you first start to cook?

My mother was an excellent cook and very frugal, having grown up in the post-war years. She designed gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show for The Sunday Telegraph and bought a strawberry farm with money left by her father, turning it into a very successful plant nursery.

She had many good friends in Kent, where I grew up, and I cooked at their local dinner parties during school holidays. At 13, I went to live with Jennie Loriston Clarke, who owns Catherston Stud in Brockenhurst. Jennie had won a bronze medal at the World Dressage Championships. I went to school in Southampton with her two daughters and got up at 5am to ride the horses.

I then went to work full-time for Jennie’s sister, Jane Holderness-Roddam, who had won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics as well as Badminton twice. My passion had always been three-day eventing rather than dressage, so this was a great opportunity to train with Jane. I was lucky enough to represent Great Britain in eventing twice myself.

So really, I began to cook to pay for my training and to support myself. I have not had any formal training, except for a three-month French cookery course in London.

So How Did you move from a career in Riding to CAtering?

My father had worked in Calcutta at my grandfather’s tea company. I went to ride with his friends, Anne and Bob Wright, at the Tollygunge Club. They ran a retreat for tigers and other animals called Kipling’s Camp and had a passion for polo. When the England polo team came over to play, I travelled with them to the Rajasthan Polo Club in Jaipur. Unfortunately, I had a riding accident there when a chestnut mare stopped at the last minute and I landed on ground as hard as concrete. My knee swelled up above the top of my leather riding boots. I was placed in the back of a car, lying across the back seat. At the hospital, I was transferred onto a stone table, but there was a power surge during the X-ray, so I never saw the results. They dosed me with opium and I returned to win the dressage at the club. A second X-ray later revealed four breaks in my lower back, and I was terrified. The England polo team came to visit me in hospital, and I was able to fly back home with them to receive treatment.

Once recovered, my next trip was to Australia to ride with Charlie Moffatt, but the horse I was riding reared and I decided to give horses a rest for a while. I drove up the east coast of Australia, working in white-water rafting as a photographer and cooking for a living. I then moved on to New Zealand before returning to the UK, where I bought my own horse.

My parents were holidaying in Spain when we suffered a family tragedy: my father drowned in the sea due to an undertow. He was only 51. I was in the UK and my brother was in Australia, which made it very difficult. Shortly afterwards, I sold my horse and moved to London to start a new life — and to cook.

So the move to London was when your catering career really took off?

Yes. I got a job with Johnny Roxburgh at his company, The Admirable Crichton. Johnny was known as the ‘Party Architect’ and held a Royal Warrant to organise events for the Royal Family. At the time, film companies were spending fortunes on Bond parties. I left Johnny after eight years and went freelance for 18 months before setting up Rhubarb in 1996.

I developed a close relationship with Rob Van Helden, the celebrity florist, who was my biggest inspiration. He introduced me to Elton John, Pierce Brosnan and many others. I had contacts with five or six big names, including Barclays Capital and the Hampton Court Palace Festival.

Rhubarb catered for Stella McCartney’s wedding and the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster — events which put us firmly in the limelight. I once had to plan seating for 1,200 people in a garden in York, including the Queen. I tried her chair and realised she had a head-on view of a huge rearing bronze stallion, so I quickly rearranged the seating.

Can you tell me about some of your biggest challenges?

One year, Elton John’s AIDS Foundation held a Russian-themed dinner. The caviar starter was served on individual multi-tiered ice ‘dishes’, which we handmade in moulds with dried flowers frozen inside. For dessert, our team, led by pastry chef Peggy Porschen, transformed 600 Easter eggs into gold, pink and blue ‘Fabergé’ eggs, with crème brûlée served inside champagne saucers.

For Simon Cowell’s birthday party, we placed a pasta ‘S’ in the bottom of each bowl of chicken soup. The soup was poured at the table from a teapot onto the pasta. We had to call on Locatelli, a very famous two-Michelin-star pasta chef, who managed to make the blanched linguine hold its ‘S’ shape.

Rhubarb also catered for the annual charity events of hedge-fund manager and philanthropist Arpad ‘Arki’ Busson, who was married to Elle Macpherson. We ran these events for eight consecutive years at venues such as Kensington Palace and Battersea Power Station. One year, they raised £25 million in a single night for the children’s charity ARK (Absolute Return for Kids). We cooked 1,400 blackberry and apple soufflés, which required a bank of 38 turbo ovens — and a field of generators — to produce them in just 12 minutes.

Sometimes the simplest menus are the biggest challenge. For example, to serve Wagyu steak and triple-fried chips to 1,400 people, we needed 40 chefs and 25 deep-fat fryers.

you also worked in sporting events AND as an independent consultant?

Yes. We worked on various events across Europe, and I consulted on two Rugby World Cups and eight Summer and Winter Olympic Games, from Sydney 2000 to London 2012. We worked with hotels and caterers in each country, designing menus and events to suit the partners of the Games.

I sold my stake in Rhubarb in 2012 and continued as an independent consultant. I worked with the Soho House Group on events and helped run a kosher catering company for several years. Over ten years, I worked closely with Lawrence Dallaglio on his annual 8Rocks events for his rugby charity, including the one held in February 2023. For charity events, you have to devise a menu that is impressive yet relatively low-cost, in order to maximise funds raised.

You now describe yourself as a food artist or menu creator. Can you explain more?

I love putting the food to the client and the client to the food. There is a plethora of caterers out there, all with different skill sets, each bringing something unique to the table. With my experience as a caterer, I am now very well equipped to match the right caterer to the right client.

Where do you like to eat when you are in Menorca?

I am very lucky to have Es Molí de Foc on my doorstep in Sant Climent — the food is always special. My go-to restaurant for the last couple of years has been Sa Punta in Es Castell. This week we chose the sliced marinated jamón ibérico with tahini, almonds and tapenade, and the roast lemon chicken with bulgur wheat and harissa.

There are many new boutique restaurants with excellent menus, including Christine Bedford in Mahón. Other favourites include Pan y Vino, Bambu for the ambience and zen garden, Augustin, Ana Luisa, and Smoix and Mon in Ciutadella.

When I organised our four-day wedding in Menorca, I worked closely with Carlos from S’Algar Catering. I was blown away by his efficiency and am keen to bring more clients to experience the beauty of this island. I have some very exciting new projects on the go — and I’m always looking forward to more.

We are delighted that Lucy now leads our Roqueta Team of Tasters, writing about and reviewing restaurants in Menorca in each issue.