Main character
EMILY ROUX • Caractère
WORK • Wednesday Routine
EMILY ROUX • chef & owner • Caractère
Neighbourhood you work in: Notting Hill
Neighbourhood you live in: Fulham
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I get to the restaurant around 8:30a after dropping my boys off. It’s only me and my husband (Caractère’s co-owner) Diego Ferrari in the kitchen before the rest of the team get in. It’s tranquil, and I put on music to get various jobs done. I work with pastry so there’s much to do: vanilla ganache, petit four, blackberry marmalade… Some things need to be in the oven while others need to be chilled, so I end up using the whole kitchen. I stop pastry around midday and get on with some admin until 2p – we don’t have lunch service on Wednesday. I then head off to pick up my eldest boy and take him to a swimming lesson before picking up the youngest from nursery. Then it’s home, dinner, put the kids to bed, and if need be, I return to the restaurant until about 10:30 or 11p.
What’s on the agenda for today?
It’s a busy time for the restaurant. We’re collaborating with Laurent-Perrier Champagne with a special menu until 30 November, featuring a glass of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Itération No. 26 to accompany our canapés. We’re also working on Christmas menus and doing tastings for the Wimbledon 2026 menus that we do as part of Chez Roux. I also took part in an episode of the new Knife Edge series from Apple TV+, which was a great opportunity to share some of Caractère’s journey towards its Michelin star.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Our local is Joséphine Bouchon, so that’s somewhere I might go on Sunday or Monday. Brasserie Constance has also opened nearby. The food is wonderful and it’s special to be able to sit by the river. For something more casual, my kids and I really love C&R Cafe in Chinatown (their noodles are excellent). We also enjoy the Little Four Seasons as a family, and sometimes I get a takeaway from them.
Any weekend getaways?
Before we had kids, we loved going to The Ned for a long weekend. It’s in London so there’s no need to travel, but the pool, spa and terrace are all fantastic. We love to go to Lille whenever we can. We stay near our friends, who own a fantastic two-Michelin-star restaurant, ROZÓ. It’s a treat to see them, plus to eat, drink and do some food shopping.
What was your last great holiday?
The Maldives, last Christmas. We stayed at the resort Kuramathi, which is where Diego and I got married. We hadn’t been since, so it was very special to take our kids there. The resort has everything you need – snorkelling, wind surfing, even a little submarine for exploring the waters with the kids. In terms of restaurants, we really like Tandoor Mahal. It’s delicious and the local fish is just incredible.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A Yum Asia Sakura rice cooker with so many different functions. I love making coconut sticky rice and the whole process is so easy.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Prezzemolo & Vitale, a chain of Italian delis with excellent ham and fresh pasta. My husband is Italian so we visit a lot.
Where are you donating your time or money?
Once a month we donate clothes to FARA Kids, a charity shop in Notting Hill. We also work closely with Hospitality Action through the Roux Scholarship.