I’ve always been interested in cooking, right from school, and at Cambridge University I used to produce three course dinner parties on two gas rings, though I’ve never worked from cookbooks, but have my own recipes, so my dishes sometimes vary a bit.

After leaving Trinity College in 1969, I didn't really settle down and in January 1971, aged 23, I broke my back in a car accident in Australia, which semi-paralysed me for several weeks and kept me in hospital for four months. I was one of the few lucky ones there, although my back still troubles me a lot, I was the only person to walk out of the second ward that I was in.

The accident and subsequent spell in hospital sobered me up a bit and I felt that it was time to start doing something constructive. Returning to England from Australia via the West Coast of America, I saw some of the splendid family style restaurants there, serving what seemed to me to be a marvellous combination - decent food, reasonable prices, friendly service, family orientated - and this was the inspiration that lead directly to my opening a hamburger restaurant, Leadbelly, in Brighton in 1972.

The sale of my 75% share stake to my co-partners in Leadbelly only two months after opening left me with some cash, and the inspiration to go further in the restaurant industry. So I opened a small place called 'Paupers' in the King's Road, London, really the forerunner of Porters. From there I went via Bewick's in Walton Street, the only restaurant that gained a star in the Egon Ronay Guide (1977), and the Caviar Bar in Knightsbridge, to pursuing an idea that that always been at the back of my mind.

It has always seemed strange to me that you could get speciality, sensibly priced food from many countries around the world, in London restaurants - French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, American - but not English. The natural product to represent that seemed to be the pie, and so when the opportunity came to take a large site in Covent Garden's Henrietta Street, I dived in head first, despite the fact that it was still a long time before the market would finish being revamped.

On June the 19th 1979, I opened ‘Porters English Restaurant’ aiming to fill that gap that existed in the market for reasonably priced, real English dishes.

At the time I was quoted as saying, “The few specialist English restaurants in London tend to serve food at very high prices. Porters will give a lot of people good, simple, traditional English dishes in comfortable surroundings at very reasonable prices. There can’t be many places any longer in central London where you can eat a two course meal with wine for about £6 per head!” Still a statement that rings true, except for the price! However, a trebling of the cost of a meal in nearly twenty years seems very moderate.

It was instantly popular, but not enough to run at a profit in the first twelve months. But, exactly one year from the start, Covent Garden Market re-opened, and trade went up 60% in the following week, and has never really looked back since, though the product has continued to improve and has become much more varied.

For a long time, we only served pies and puddings, but eventually that became too restrictive, and we began to specialise in some of the most popular dishes that we boast of today: Beer Battered Cod, Chips and Mushy Peas, Individual Steak and Kidney Puddings, Dorset Jugged Venison and homemade Pork, Leek and Sage Sausages and Mash.

Whilst puddings like: Steamed Syrup Sponge, Bread and Butter Pudding, Spotted Dick - which seems strangely to cause amusement to Americans, as do the Faggots for Main Course - Apple and Blackberry Crumble and Lady Bradford's Sticky Gingerbread Pudding, remain as popular as ever.

We have always had a great belief is presenting our prices fairly, with no cover charge, unlimited coffee or tea, and a side order included in the price of a main course. Fodor's once called us, "The budget alternative to Rules", a fair description, and Frommers Guide list us as one of only seven family friendly restaurants in London. However with all Starters and Puddings costing £3.25, and most Mains at £8.95, we can truly state that we give real value for money.

In 1997, Porters opened the stunning, stylish porters bar (the lower case is deliberate!) next door, offering its customers a much wider choice than is normal.

Five real ales, properly cask conditioned, eighteen wines by the 175 cl glass, twenty bottled lagers and beers from all around the world, table service of food & drink by friendly, knowledgeable, well trained staff, colourful décor and crockery, freshly prepared food, air conditioning and Lloyd Loom furniture.

This combines to create a truly different experience compared to the normal bar, and has been a huge success; Porters describes it rather well as ‘an
independent bar for the independent minded’.

In September 1999, a further ‘porters bar’ opened in Poland Street, this has been an even greater instant success, compared to the one in Henrietta Street, and can be viewed on the web-site.

So here we are twenty two and a half years later, still looking forwards, determined to do what we do better, offering a unique product for London, and feeling that one of these days our success will help the renaissance of proper English cooking, which, if done well, can be gloriously tasty and as varied as that of any other nationality.

And when it is done badly......

Copyright © 2001 by Richard, Earl of Bradford

If you have enjoyed this article, take a look at the Earl of Bradford's Guide to London Restaurants where he gives an insider's view of the capital's restaurants.