Aan the eve of their 20th anniversary, for Raymond Talsma and Leon Harinck of the archetypal Hague catering company House of Lords everything else. Having already moved in on Leidsestraatweg since the opening of the Louwman Museum, the parties will part ways at the end of 2023. "As good friends, mind you," maître d'hôtel Talsma immediately adds from behind a cup of coffee in the lounge of the equally primal Hotel Des Indes. "Even though it is no longer the base of operations, it remains one of our event venues."

What remains behind on Louwman's covered Museumplein is the original façade of the famous star restaurant The House of Lords - namesake of the caterers - which had to make way for the construction of the new Lower House in the late 1980s. "A shame, of course, but that facade is simply part of their collection," Talsma says resignedly. "For us, it is mainly the good memories that remain; the three of us started here and now our company consists of more than a hundred people."

Food trucks

Across the table, patron-cuisinier Harinck starts laughing: "I am and always will be a down-to-earth Zeeuw, so when Louwman director Ronald Kooyman asked me at the time how big our capacity was, I said: 'Quality is paramount and with dinners for up to forty people, we can guarantee it'. Now we no longer turn our hand to parties with twelve hundred people, obviously with the same standard; we do fantastic events with food trucks, à la minute slicing of Parma ham, tranching of fish, you name it."

"Whether it is the Hof van Duivenvoorde and Villa Ockenburgh, where we provide catering services, or any of the other prominent places in the city where we do catering: everywhere we make the most of the location," Talsma adds. "House of Lords is as flexible as a chameleon. We absorb the surroundings and move with the audience that comes." That approach requires creativity from the whole team. "I sometimes say: we're Hagenaars with a Rotterdam no-bullshit-but-but-bullets mentality. Hands out of the sleeves, feet in the mud."

Pain

So there is hard work, but fun is just as important. "We are not a family business, but it feels like that," feels Harinck. "We know what's going on within the team and everyone is on the same page. In that atmosphere, it is also fine to surround yourself with people who are better than yourself and to learn from each other. I am quite willing to admit that our chef cooks better than me." Then with a wink: "Well, that does hurt a bit, but it's about what's best for all of us."

The young guard is also brimming with ideas, according to Talsma. "On TikTok, they come across all kinds of new techniques and products. And we are open to experimentation. For example, I recently tasted a sunflower grilled whole!" According to Harinck, this is totally in line with the trend. "People are making more and more conscious choices. That's why we work according to the principles of Dutch Cuisine with as many local ingredients and less animal products as possible. And if we do go for meat or fish, it must be top quality and prepared with respect."

House of Lords

What the Lords' new home in jubilee year 2024 will be is still open. "It could be a fancy place, but something raw is also interesting," Talsma of House of Lords cryptically formulates. "For now at least, we are busy with two new venues we have attracted: Amare and the New Church."

www.houseoflords.nl