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When the Michelin-starred chefs of London need the best lamb they turn to Daphne Tilley. Her farm, Plas Isaf, buried deep in the Denbighshire countryside, supplies some of the biggest names. Jamie Oliver and Richard Corrigan have both relied on her company, Elwy Valley Welsh Lamb, for their menus, and all the meat produced on the farm heads directly for the capital.
Until recently, Mrs Tilley had another celebrated customer, the brilliant but temperamental Tom Aikens. She was proud to supply his restaurant - who wouldn't want to be associated with an eaterie voted the eighth best in the world in 2005.
Aikens, 38, is one of the brightest stars in the Michelin firmament, a man who combines intense cuisine with a sometimes intense personality. His Chelsea restaurant, Tom Aikens, is a celebrity watering hole of the highest quality, the winner of 22 awards since opening in 2003. The tasting menu will set you back pounds 80, while the "classic" menu of fois gras, lobster and venison costs pounds 175 if matched wines are included.
Ask Mrs Tilley about Aikens now though, and the air chills. "My understanding of a Michelin-starred chef is someone who stands out as an example of integrity," she said yesterday. "I do not consider that Mr Aikens' behaviour has brought any credit on his profession. In my opinion, his behaviour is neither honourable nor that of a gentleman."
Mrs Tilley is not alone. Across the country, suppliers of Aikens' two London restaurants are facing substantial, possibly crippling, losses following the announcement last week that the companies that ran the restaurants had gone bust. A statement issued on behalf of Aikens explained that two limited companies set up by him and his backers had been placed into administration. Some 160 suppliers, many of them small businesses, now find themselves at the end of a queue of creditors.
Yet, book a table and you will notice hardly any difference. Tom Aikens and the less formal Tom's Kitchen are still open...