During lockdown Glynn wasn’t resting on his laurels. Firstly he offered his services to the community and spent several days a week delivering prescriptions to people who were shielding on his old stomping ground in Chelmsley Wood. He also put the finishing touches to not only this book but a fabulous children’s book (his second) called Arnold the Alpaca. Out next month, the book tells the tale of a short-sighted farmer who mistakenly buys an alpaca instead of a sheep which unfortunately then gets bullied by the farmer’s other sheep.
“I love children’s books. I did the first one for my daughter to immortalise our pet dog. It’s a about a dog who eats beans and farts a lot.
“So I did it, I achieved what I wanted but I still feel the same, if I didn’t I’d just stop what I’m doing.
“I’ve said it many times before, but I’m living the dream. I have my own restaurant. I've held a Michelin star for the last 11 years and I work with some of the best, hardest working and most creative people in the industry. There are times when I feel truly blessed.”
As well as gaining and achieving a Michelin star for over a decade (the first new star ever in Birmingham) one of Glynn’s proudest achievements is his part in putting Birmingham on the culinary map.
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“I love Birmingham. I used to come into town on the bus with my mum as a kid and I just thought it was really exciting.
“”It was a culinary desert but now it’s one of the best places in the country to come and eat. There are lots of new places opening and there are some old dudes like me, but I’m still rock and roll. What we do here is still relevant.
“The restaurant scene is quite different now. Ten to 15 years ago only certain people would eat in Michelin-starred restaurants but that has all changed. The other day we had a family in with their 13-year-old son who’d seen me on Saturday Kitchen and he loved it. That’s great. It’s accessible for everyone.”
Glynn’s own kids are already showing a passion for food, particularly his eldest two.
“My daughter loves baking and my eldest son is doing a GCSE in hospitality. I’m not pressuring them to follow me into the trade but they are just naturally good at it.
“I think it’s important that all children should know how to feed themselves anyway. It’s important. My kids know the difference between fresh, chopped off the cob sweetcorn and the tinned stuff; a farm reared, corn fed chicken and a cheap supermarket one, they have good palates, but they also like Haribo and Monster Munch. The other day my daughter discovered Pot Noodles and I told her she’d have plenty of time for them when she’s a student,” he laughed. “They’re just normal kids.”
“I might be 45 but I have a mental age of about 8, so it’s easy for me.”
The new book will be supporting anti-bullying charities and Glynn will also be taking it into schools and doing talks.
SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR GLYNN?
“Next year I have a really exciting project. To coincide with Coventry becoming the City of Culture, we are opening a new restaurant at the historic Charter House so that’s really exciting. I hope to do in Coventry what we’ve achieved in Birmingham.”
Boxed and limited edition, A Purnell’s Journey: There and Back Again is available now, priced £75 at Purnell’s or direct from the publisher at
www.awaywithmedia.com/buy-books/glynn- purnell, priced £85 which includes tracked Parcelforce p&p to UK. Each book comes complete with a signed photograph of Glynn, featuring an image from the book.
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
LOCAL PEOPL E GLYNN PURNE L L
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