Agnar Sverrisson

ICELANDIC CHEF Agnar Sverrisson, known to friends and colleagues as Aggi, moved to the UK in 2001 and has been riding high ever since. Before joining Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in 2002, he trained at a number of well-known Michelin starred restaurants. His first job was as head chef at Reykjavík’s Grill Room in 1998. Raymond Blanc has described his food as being 'to fish what St John is to offal’, given the variety of procedures used in ‘preparing, marinating, presenting it’.

In September 2007, Sverrisson teamed up with Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons’ head sommelier Xavier Rousset to launch Texture Restaurant, where they combine their expertise to create a unique dining experience. In 2010, the duo launched their next venture, 28º – 50º, a wine bar with a restaurant, in Fetter Lane. Its phenomenal success can be gauged by the fact that they have since expanded to open brother venues at two further locations, Marylebone and Mayfair.

Although in the UK for over a decade now, Sverrisson remains faithful to his Icelandic roots, and produces a menu combining Scandinavian and Icelandic ingredients with local British produce. In 2010, Texture was awarded a Michelin star. The restaurant was also named as New Restaurant of the Year by The Independent in 2007 and has since accumulated three AA rosettes, a Catey and a Remy Martin Award.

Sverrisson has banned butter and cream from his restaurant, explaining that he hates to go home after a fantastic meal feeling so uncomfortably full that all he can do for the rest of the day is flop. He prefers cleaner, lighter flavours, arguing that adding fat does not enhance the flavour. Sverrisson is a perfectionist who is driven by a sense of things never being good enough and he knows how to treat his staff, saying: ‘Respecting your staff is crucial; you are nothing on your own and you must look after those who work around you.’ In the past few years, Sverrisson feels he has relaxed a little and grown in confidence. He says: ‘I am sticking to what I know; what I believe in - it's not necessarily what everybody thinks is right but I think it's right. People seem to be happy with it so I'm sticking to that. Simple.’