Margaux Aubry has quietly built one of London's most influential neighbourhood restaurants. As the owner of Naughty Piglets, she's spent the last 12 years helping redefine what modern London dining can be: brilliant produce, fearless cooking, incredible natural wine and a restaurant that genuinely feels part of its community. In this episode, she joins us to tell the remarkable story behind one of the capital's most beloved independent restaurants.
We dive into her journey from growing up in Lyon to arriving in London as a teenager, falling in love with hospitality and eventually opening Naughty Piglets with almost no blueprint to follow. Margaux shares the highs and lows of building an independent restaurant, why she's happier running the business on her own terms today, the famous jambon beurre that has become a London institution, and why Paris still pulls at her heartstrings every time she visits.
As always, the conversation is packed with brilliant food stories. Margaux reveals her favourite bistros in Paris, the dishes that defined her childhood, why Comté might just be the perfect cheese, the legendary fox that once became trapped inside the restaurant overnight, and the wild days serving millionaire yacht owners on the French Riviera. We also chat natural wine, London's changing restaurant scene, and why she believes the industry's constant negativity risks putting off the next generation of restaurateurs.