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While she rushes around delivering dishes and tidying up tables, clad in just a shirt, tie, and waistcoat with a crisp apron wrapped around her middle, one would never guess that this hardworking server has ties to royalty.
To her business associate—and fellow owner of their eatery, The Yellow Bittern—she’s just Frances. However, for those acquainted with the branches of the Windsor lineage, she goes by Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal.
Lady Frances, born Armstrong-Jones, is the youngest daughter of Lord Snowdon, who was previously married to Princess Margaret.
Princess Margaret
, and Lucy Hogg, whom he married soon after completing his divorce. Frances arrived seven months later.
In 1961, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones received the title of Lord Snowdon, just one year following his marriage to Princess Margaret, who was the younger sibling of the late queen. They later had two offspring: David, aged 63, and Lady
Sarah Chatto
, 61, the sole maternal cousins of
King Charles
and his three siblings.
However, just three and a half miles distant from
Buckingham Palace
Behind the slightly gritty Caledonian Road near King’s Cross, you can spot their half-sibling diligently working away at one of the establishments.
London
‘s most controversial eateries.
Launched in October 2024 by the 45-year-old entrepreneur along with her partner, Chef Hugh Corcoran who is 35 years old, and Oisín Davies, a 33-year-old bookseller, The Yellow Bittern has sparked division among London’s food critics.
There are merely 18 seats available, so you can reserve a spot for either of the two lunch slots from Monday through Friday by calling or sending a postcard. Additionally, forget about paying via mobile; this place accepts payments exclusively in cash.
There is no menu. Just a chalkboard with a short list of dishes that is changed daily.
On one day this week there were some interesting cuisine on offer.
To start: radishes with butter; crab mayonnaise; artichokes a la barigoule [that’s small artichokes braised in a light stock with carrots, onion and hidden mushrooms]; mussels in cream, white wine and spring onion; and chicken and broad bean vol-au-vent.
Prices range between £9 and £18. Bread and butter costs £6.
And for main course: roast chicken; beef stew and mash; and Dublin Coddle [this is the Yellow Bittern’s trademark dish. It looks like an artisan sausage drowning in a bowl surrounded by onions, carrots, potatoes and herbs].
The price for these is either £25 or £28.
The dessert menu features timeless favorites like crème brûlée and chocolate soufflé, as well as seasonal options such as rhubarb and apple tart, along with strawberries marinated in red wine. The prices for these delights range from £9 to £10.
Moreover, there’s the notoriously famous Irish cheeses priced at £16 per plate.
Looking for something to complement your meal? Corcoran carries the wine list in his mind, and as someone who gained considerable expertise during his time in Paris, he will recommend a selection from his prized wine list. Prices start at £10 per glass or range between £60-£65 for a full bottle.
At the same time, along Caledonian Road, tattooed men holding hard hats are drinking cold lagers during their lunch break. Nearby, a man lies unconscious beneath a blanket, while another person is begging frantically for cash beside the entrance of a local Sainsbury’s store.
A couple of blocks down, two individuals are perched against a wall, enveloped in a haze of pungent smoke. Their eyes appear simultaneously unfocused and wide open.
Initially, one might mistakenly believe that Frances and Hugh’s relationship exemplifies the adage ‘opposite attracts opposite.’
She came of age within the core of upper-class British life—official photographs from her elder stepsister Lady Sarah Chatto’s nuptials depict her participating as a bridesmaid alongside Zara Phillips and standing beside the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, and Prince Edward. On the other hand, he was born in Belfast and identifies as an Irish republican with aspirations to cook for members of the RMT trade union, whose offices are located nearby his small eatery.
Despite their differing origins, they share a comparable mindset when it comes to relishing life, particularly in their deep respect and appreciation for a relaxed lunchtime feast.
Drawing inspiration from the pleasure of an extended, leisurely luncheon, Frances launched food and lifestyle magazine Luncheon in 2017. This esteemed publication offers its audience a wealth of high culture, culinary delights, and engaging discussions.
Certainly, similarities can be observed between the content she shares and the atmosphere of the renowned gatherings hosted by her father and his initial spouse at Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A throughout their union up till their separation in 1978.
The chain-smoking Princess Margaret was famous for presiding over gatherings that included some of the period’s most stylish and quick-witted individuals, along with numerous of her husband’s extravagant artist acquaintances.
However, Frances’ tastes seem to be decidedly more lowkey. She told Vogue Italia that Gavin and Stacey star James Corden would be one of her ‘ideal guests’ at her perfect lunch.
She added that she sees Luncheon, which is now based in the same building as The Yellow Bittern, as ‘a cocktail of images, photographs, designs and illustrations. And lots of conversations between, maybe, a ninety-year-old artist and a twenty-year-old photographer. Beauty is born out of this type of mix. We like the idea of creating something unique, of looking at, reading, rereading and preserving.
‘It’s all very random, the ideas are born spontaneously at a party, at an exhibition, or with someone I meet by chance. I want the spirit of the magazine to remain free, just like what happens during a lunch; you never know who is seated next to you and what you’ll talk about.’
This week, Lady Frances moved gracefully among the few tables in this cozy restaurant as her fiery-tempered Irish chef companion, Hugh, lifted casseroles to stir the contents inside.
At a particular table, an elderly theater director was enthusiastically discussing his newest endeavor with his dining partner, who was also an older actor.
On the opposite side, two teenage boys with elaborate hairstyles, dressed in Levi jeans, loose-fitting t-shirts, and pricey sneakers, are engaged in conversation.
Beside them, a man in his late twenties and his lifelong partner snuggled up to each other as they took sips of the cold white wine that Hugh had freshly served.
Lady Frances let out a sympathetic sigh for another patron who shared that their lunch appointment ‘won’t be able to come.’
Prince Edward’s enthusiasm for life and his interest in understanding others did not diminish after leaving the palace grounds. As a child, Frances remembers being welcomed into her father’s private photo studio where she would encounter whoever was the focus of attention that day—perhaps it could be someone like Margaret Thatcher or Tom Cruise—and often engaging with these guests in conversation.
She shared with Vogue Italia: “I spent my childhood in the same house where my dad kept his studio (whenever I returned from school and saw a red light lit above the entrance, I knew I needed to stay quiet). After completing each photoshoot, he would summon me to introduce me to his guest. Everyone would gather around the kitchen table—my father, the assistants, partners, along with whichever actor or actress had been posing for the session.”
Given her extensive engagement with his projects throughout her life, it was appropriate that Lord Snowdon, who died in 2017 at the age of 86 due to kidney issues, asked Frances to assist him in overseeing his archives and exhibitions. He also provided her with an important role within the Snowdon Trust.
In the year before he passed away, Frances started her own fashion brand under her name, offering smock coats for sale at the fashionable Dover Street Market. These coats featured linings that were inspired by the wallpaper in her father’s studio.
She shared with ES Magazine that she became a designer without any formal education, confessing, “No nine-to-five job, no degree, nothing. I simply bring a lifetime of experience, I guess.”
In the 1990s, some three hundred miles away from more illustrious locales, in the rather unremarkable area of North Belfast, Corcoran was simultaneously acquiring knowledge on what constitutes an ideal gathering.
He told The Irish Independent: “When I was a young child, I recall descending into a room where the tablecloth was scattered with glasses left over from the previous evening. This experience embedded in me the connection between food, wine, and enjoying oneself at a tender age.”
His parents, Moya—a left-wing individual from North Yorkshire—and Jack—an Irish mechanic—raised the young Hugh and his sibling, who was also named Jack, on substantial homemade dinners. These meals came paired with generous helpings of Irish nationalism and discussions about labor unions around the dining table.
He stated, “My mother has always been an excellent, wholesome, straightforward cook and a highly skilled gardener; even now, she cultivates both veggies and blooms. I draw significant inspiration from her, as her cooking focused entirely on providing sustenance. In terms of being hospitable, she believes that anyone should feel free to stop by for a meal and join us around the dining table.”
My father was a daring chef at home. I recall him preparing squid ink pasta and conger eel cooked in red wine; our collection includedElizabeth David’s books, which fascinated him.
Frequently referred to as a ‘Communist’ by food critics, Corcoran hasn’t made efforts to dispel this characterization.
At the small eatery once again, Lady Frances seems thoroughly at ease.
She beams as she sets down the porcelain dishes filled with gourmet fare onto the pristine white tablecloth, alongside the ivory-colored genuine linen napkins.
No glass remains empty until she approaches one of the four tables and asks softly, “Can I get you something more?”
At the conclusion of the initial seating, Lady Frances, Hugh Corcoran, and his helper convene in the compact kitchen located at the rear of the modest space, where their culinary creations await serving during the subsequent seating.
Despite being a small, single-room establishment without a menu, this hidden gem owes its regal appeal to Lady Frances’ warmth in the dining area and Hugh’s culinary prowess with the cookware, offering patrons an exceptionally luxurious mealtime adventure.
Lady Frances chose not to talk about her circumstances when confronted.
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