Leon has the right recipe for success

Dedicated to providing healthy fast food at affordable prices it proved an instant hit, gaining critical approval and packing in the customers.

They opened their Canary Wharf branch last year and the Cabot Place West restaurant has proved a big hit with cost-conscious Wharfers. Allegra spoke to The Wharf about the philosophy behind Leon, her latest cookbook and why she was a big hit with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro.

She said: "The appeal of Leon is not that clever, really. We just thought people needed something good, healthy and honest to eat and that's what we try to deliver.

"We use good ingredients, which is why it's not as cheap as some of our competitors, and we do proper cooking, nothing is pre-prepared.

"We want to be inclusive, not exclusive, and make sure the food is good. You should be able to eat well for a fiver. We must be doing something right because we get over 50,000 people through our doors every week.

"And the Canary Wharf Leon is it's actually doing pretty well, even though it isn't in an ideal location because it's kind of down the end of an underground passage."

Allegra's passion for food has seen her sustain a successful 20-year catering career, and even landed her a stint working for De Niro at the actor's Tribeca Grill in New York.

"Robert De Niro was really great," she said. "He's a bit of an empty canvas when he first meets people but that's just the way he is.

"I cooked him lunch every day and because it was European-style he thought it was great. He loves things like pasta, but that's not surprising given his Italian background.

"The restaurant was rammed every day but there were very few regulars. Because it was Robert's restaurant people would make a point of coming there to eat."

The path to Leon was a long one for Allegra and she attributes her enthusiasm cooking to one woman in particular - Claudia Roden.

"She was my inspiration," said Allegra.

"I went to St Paul's school in Hammersmith but was expelled when I was 17, just before my A levels. Then my mum died at the same time and I also came out as gay.

"I screwed up my exams and didn't really have the option of going off to university like everyone else so I became a chef. Going into cheffing wasn't as cool in 1988 as it is now but I really enjoyed it.

"I have a huge heroine in Claudia Roden. My mum knew her, although not really well, so she used to come to any big parties we had at our house.

"When I started out I phoned her up and she was just so encouraging. She had written about the history of foods and I found that very inspiring.

"She made the point about using the ingredients that are true to an area and I think that was very true.

"Claudia's an amazing woman. She's in her 70s now but she has just spent ages travelling around Spain for a book she's about to bring out and I really admire that."

And it has been onwards and upwards for Allegra too, with 2008 proving a very successful year for 38-year-old.

As well as expanding the Leon empire Allegra picked up an MBE in the Birthday Honours List and published a very well received cookbook, giving away the secrets of Leon's culinary success.

"The reaction to the book has been lovely," she said. "It stands out from the crowd a bit because of the way it looks.

"When you read other cookbooks, and I'm not going to mention any names, they do all look slightly the same in the way they are presented - lots of glossy photos and things like that. It's become a bit of a saturated market so it is important to be a little bit different.

"The book sold out in its first print run and I'm really proud of that. I think it's kind of timeless and I hope people will keep looking at it for years to come rather than leave it gathering dust on a shelf.

"My favourite recipe, off the top of my head, is the braised pork with rigatoni.

"You make the pork first and then add the raw pasta to it and then stick it in the oven and casserole it. When I think about the taste of it I get a really warm, fuzzy feeling. It's really delicious.

"That's what the book is all about. Good flavours, often from cheap cuts, which is becoming more important these days."

Despite the troubled economic climate Allegra is surprisingly upbeat about the year ahead.

She said: "I'm feeling good about 2009 in a sort of bucking the trend way. Weirdly, for the self-employed the recession takes a different turn because you don't have anyone telling you to take a huge pay cut or making you redundant.

"We have eight restaurants now and they are all doing well. Not that you make a lot of money because all the profits go straight back into the business.

"And we're opening a Leon at the Westfield Centre in Shepherd's Bush in the spring and another at Bluewater in the summer.

"We don't want to over-expand because the quality has to be good. That's very important. But we are confident about the future."