Featured Chefs

Michael Caines MBE, chef patron of Lympstone Manor, is known as one of Britain’s most celebrated and acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs. Having grown up in the South West of England, Michael has earned a global reputation for his distinctive modern cuisine, which champions the finest local produce and suppliers, combined with influences from his global travels.

After attending a local Catering College in Exeter Michael’s talent was evident and this was followed by three years at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons with Raymond Blanc. He then furthered his experience travelling to France to study under Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon. In 1994 Michael returned to the UK to take up the position of head chef at Gidleigh Park in his home county of Devon. It was at Gidleigh that Michael achieved two Michelin stars. Both of which he retained for 18 years and earned within just four.

After 21 years at Gidleigh, in April 2017 Michael struck out on his own, opening Lympstone Manor – the luxury 21- bedroom country house hotel in a Grade II Georgian mansion in East Devon. Lympstone achieved its first Michelin star within six months of opening. The hotel now holds 5 AA Rosettes as of the AA Hospitality Awards 2020.

Firmly rooting himself in the South West, Michael’s other projects include The Cove Restaurant and Bar at Maenporth, The Harbourside Refuge in Porthleven and 2021 will welcome a fourth site, Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant on the Exmouth shoreside. Michael is a familiar face on television, appearing regularly on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, Great British Menu and MasterChef and has authored a cookbook, Michael Caines at Home. He is an AA Chef’s Chef of the Year and has cooked at 10 Downing Street as well as being partner and ambassador for the Williams Formula 1 Motor Racing team, overseeing catering for the Grand Prix across the globe.

https://www.michaelcaines.com/

Rick is a British chef, restaurateur, cookery book author and television presenter. He has written over 25 cookery books, a memoir and made over 30 programmes including 12 cookery series. In 2018 Rick was awarded a CBE for Services to the Economy.

Rick is best known for a love of fresh, simple seafood and made his name in the 90s with his earliest books and television series based on his life as chef and owner of The Seafood Restaurant (established in 1975) in the fishing port of Padstow.

Rick is also famed for his pairing of food and travel in TV shows near and far like: Secret France, Road to Mexico and Venice to Istanbul. During COVID, unable to travel abroad he made a series called Rick Stein’s Cornwall which aired in January 2021, it proved so popular that the BBC immediately commissioned a second series, which also achieved excellent viewing figures in January 2022.

His latest book, Rick Stein Simple Suppers, was released in October 2023.

https://www.rickstein.com

Growing up in his parents’ guesthouse in Southampton, Paul Ainsworth was part of the hospitality industry from the very beginning. Watching and helping his parents at work, he developed a strong sense of hard work and determination to succeed. A passionate supporter of Cornish farmers, fishermen and artisanal producers, Paul’s passion for imaginative and flavour-packed cooking celebrates everything the region has to offer.

On leaving school, he studied catering and hospitality at Southampton City College, working locally at The Star Hotel, and at Careys Manor in the New Forest where he enhanced his passion for learning. In 1998, Paul achieved his first big break when his college tutor helped him to secure a job at Gary Rhodes’ Michelin-starred Rhodes in the Square in London.

After two fulfilling years, Paul moved on to work with Gordon Ramsay at his three Michelin-starred restaurant on Royal Hospital Road. While working at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Paul was part of the team that successfully achieved three stars for the revered establishment. An opportunity to work for fellow Gordon Ramsay Chef Marcus Wareing at Pétrus in St James’ arose in 2003, and Paul relocated to The Berkeley with him later that year.

After six years with Gordon Ramsay Holdings, Paul was invited to head up the kitchen of No6 in Padstow. Four years later, in 2009, Paul and his wife Emma took over the restaurant from their business partner Derek Mapp and relaunched it as Paul Ainsworth at No6, winning a Michelin star in 2013, one of his proudest moments to date.

In 2011, Paul and Emma acquired Rojano’s (which was originally opened in 1974 by local businessman Stanley Rojano), and, with a nod to mentor Gary Rhodes, relaunched it as Rojano’s in the Square.

In 2015, the couple launched their most ambitious project to date, Padstow Townhouse. The 18th-century  building  has  been  lovingly  restored into a boutique hotel, offering six uniquely designed suites.

In May 2019, Paul and Emma reopened Rock institution The Mariners Public House following a dramatic refurbishment. It was awarded ‘Best Newcomer’ at the 2020 Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards and ‘Best Pub’ at the 2020 GQ Food and Drink Awards. In July 2019, Paul celebrated two prestigious wins at The Cateys for ‘Restaurateur of the Year – Independent’ and the ‘Chef Award’. In addition, Paul Ainsworth at No6 placed number 16 in the Top 100 Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards. 

An employer of over 150 team members across his venues, Paul is committed to helping others to thrive within the industry. In 2018, Paul launched the Paul Ainsworth Academy in partnership with Truro & Penwith College, offering hospitality students paid experience across all five of the businesses.

In 2020, Paul and Emma purchased the freehold to Rojano’s in the Square and carried out a full  rebrand,  renaming  it  Caffè  Rojano  by  Paul  Ainsworth  and  implementing a Mediterranean-inspired menu.

Paul and Emma are ambassadors for the Cornwall Air Ambulance and in 2019 Paul ran the London Marathon, raising over £47,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK in memory of his late father.

A charismatic and engaging chef, Paul’s personality and cooking attracts publicity. He appeared on BBC2’s Great British Menu in 2011 and won the South West regional heat. He has since been on Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, MasterChef, ITV’s This Morning, The One Show and James Martin’s Saturday Morning.

http://www.paul-ainsworth.co.uk

Chef Director Jack is the middle son of Rick and Jill Stein. His love for the hospitality world, in particular the kitchen and food-side of things, was apparent from a young age. He kicked off his career working as a kitchen porter during the school holidays, and at 16 tried his hand at front of house, working as a waiter throughout the remainder of his professional education. He studied at Cardiff University, completing a BSc in Psychology before going on to do a Masters in Ancient History. However, his heart was set on cooking, and he re-entered the family business as a Commis Chef at The Seafood Restaurant upon graduating, before becoming Sous Chef at Rick Stein’s Café.

Jack has since worked as a chef at restaurants across the world, including La Régalade in Paris, before extensive travels to Australia, the Far East and Japan, via a stint in the kitchen at Tetsuya’s, Sydney.

He’s a familiar face on television – including Jack Stein: Born to Cook on SBS and UKTV food, and Inside the Box. Plus, appearances on Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, a regular spot on Steph’s Packed Lunch and also featured on the first two series of Cooking With The Stars on ITV.

He is also the author of cookbook, World on a Plate. 

https://www.rickstein.com/about/jack-stein/

A celebrated chef, restaurateur and food writer, Mark Hix is known for his original take on British gastronomy.

Mark is frequently lauded as one of Britain’s most eminent restaurateurs with an unrivalled knowledge of ingredients with provenance. He is an award-winning author and food writer with 12 cookbooks to his name, the latest of which, Hooked, regales stories of fishing from his childhood through to the present day. Previously a regular contributor to City AM and GQ, Mark spent 14 years as the food writer for The Independent. He now has a regular column in The Telegraph, Dorset Magazine and Marshwood Vale and a weekly cookery show on Lyme Bay Radio.

After 17 years with Caprice Holdings, he left his Chef Director role in 2007 to open HIX Restaurants which spread across London’s West End and City as well as his native Dorset. Mark opened The Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis in July 2020 as well as launching his HIX Oyster & Fish Truck in Morcombelake, selling wet fish and seafood from Lyme Bay Reserve fishermen during lock downs.

http://www.hixrestaurants.co.uk

Originally trained as a baker in Brittany, Richard has been in England since 1988 and is now very much an Anglophile. With 20 years’ experience in the kitchen, baking, consulting and teaching behind him, Richard moved to Bath in 2005 to open The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school. His classes attract customers from all over the world who to come to learn to bake with him. Richard was named as BBC Food Champion of the Year for his work on baking, is an Academian of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and has been awarded an honorary degree from Westminster Kingsway college for his work with the college on baking.

Richard’s first book Dough was published in 2005 and was awarded the IACP Best Cookery Book of the Year 2006, the Julia Child Award for the Best First Book, the James Beard Award for Best Book Baking and Desserts and The Guild of Food Writers Award for Best First Book. It has been translated into many languages and is sold all over the world. Crust published in 2007, was given a World Gourmand Award for the Best British book on Baking and a James Beard Award for Food Photography. Crumb, Richard’s 6th book and was published in February 2019.

Richard successfully sold his bakery in 2019 handing on the legacy of the UK’s first national artisan bakery selling ‘proper bread’ on supermarket shelves nationwide in his range stocked in
Waitrose.

Richard is now working on a new project, Bertinet at Home.

http://www.bertinet.com

Nigel Haworth was born in Whalley, Lancashire, where his food roots remain to this day. From his initial training in Lancashire, he embarked on a culinary journey covering London, Scotland and Switzerland, before returning home to take over as Head Chef at Northcote Manor in 1984. As a chef, Nigel has helped define the path of modern British cooking through his championing of regional produce and traditional dishes, inspiring countless others to follow his local, seasonal model. He has also become a popular presence on TV with appearances on shows including Masterchef, Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen.

For more than three decades, Nigel was the driving culinary force behind Northcote. In that time, he (with co-founder Craig Bancroft) transformed its unique location in the small village of Langho, Lancashire, into a place of gastronomic pilgrimage.

Today, Nigel is still writing new chapters in his incredible story, with the opening of his much-loved pub and restaurant The Three Fishes in Mitton.

https://www.nigel-haworth.co.uk/

To put it simply, Emily Scott is passionate about food and it is in her kitchen where she feels most at home. Emily loves nothing more than delighting others through food, bringing friends and family together around the table. Emily’s passion for the connection between food, a sense of place and storytelling is infectious, intriguing and comforting all at the same time. Her story is one which interweaves the sentimental tales of a childhood in Provence with her grandfather ‘Papa’ collecting strawberries from the fields to the hum of crickets in the warm sunshine, to the beautiful shores of Cornwall and golden sandy beaches. Experience and memories are translated into ingredients which collectively are heightening into simplistic, rustic dishes which are easily recreated at home.

Emily trained in London and France and her classical training forms the backbone of her cooking style. When Emily was 23 she moved to Cornwall where she successfully ran the Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac. Emily was named best chef in the South West by Food magazine and was listed in the top 100 most influential women in the hospitality industry for two years running. Emily has been recognised by Michelin since 2016 and appeared on Great British Menu representing the South West on BBC 2 in 2019 during the competition Emily made sure that her ethos of pared down, seasonal cooking came across in her menu.

In May 2021 Emily was also commissioned by the Cabinet Office to create, cook and style a dinner for Royalty and the World Leaders for the G7 summit. This dinner took place at the Eden Project. This was an extraordinary event seeing Emily being the first woman to cook for the leaders of the western worlds. Meeting POTUS was a highlight for Emily. An opportunity Emily and her team will never forget.

Emily works with and collaborates with different brands and also writes on Substack *My Kitchen Journal* each week -emilyscottfood.substack.com Emily is also Executive Consultant Chef to Calypso Grill in the Cayman Islands.

Emily lives in Cornwall with her partner Mark Hellyar, a winemaker. Emily has three children Oscar, Finn and Evie.

https://www.emilyscottfood.com

Former Steins’ head chef Ross Geach is head grower at Padstow Kitchen Garden which supplies vegetables to some of the finest restaurants in Cornwall.

What started out as a hobby for the sixth generation farmer has grown into a successful business, with salad and vegetables plucked out of the ground in the morning and delivered to local restaurants in time for lunch.

Ross writes a monthly column in the gardening section of The Telegraph, appears monthly on BBC Radio Cornwall’s Gardenline, and was featured on BBC1’s Countryfile.

http://www.padstowkitchengarden.co.uk/

Was born on the Channel Islands surrounded by fish. His mother trained at Cordon Bleu and her enthusiasm for food, particularly fish, was passed on to Rick. With a passion for food ingrained in his blood. Rick went on to manage various different sites for Fishworks before realising his and wife Katie’s joint dream of owning their own restaurant.

Despite having no formal food training, founder Rick, along with wife Katie, discovered their dish inspiration from all avenues, including travelling and visiting other restaurants and spending days working for free at various fishmongers before opening their first Prawn on the Lawn in Islington in 2012. Rick’s background was in design, and then managing restaurants and Katie worked in the music industry. Katie and Rick have since opened two further restaurants in Padstow, another Prawn on The Lawn in 2015, followed by Barnaby’s in 2018. In 2019 POTL Padstow won the Caterer mag’s UK Seafood Restaurant of The Year award and has been featured in the Michelin guide for the last 5 years running. Rick and Katie published their first cookbook in 2018, which was re-issued in 2021 with a brand new look. As a response to Covid-19 pandemic, Prawn on the Farm opened in 2020 to huge success, running for three extremely successful years.

In 2023, Katie and Rick announced a brand new location for their second Padstow restaurant, Barnaby’s at Trevibban Mill, Padstow.

https://barnabyspadstow.com

The youngest of the three Stein boys, Charlie was born in Padstow and now splits his time between there and London. Charlie was immersed in food and wine from a young age and remembers sneaking into The Seafood Restaurant kitchen through the back doors to get a taste for what was going on. In tow with his father during his travels, Charlie was exposed to many different cultures, cuisines and ways of life, which has fed into his love and appreciation for the culture of food and drink, and been influential in his forging a career in the world of wine.

Following completion of his Wine & Spirit qualifications, Charlie went on to work at the new-wave London wine merchants, The Vintner as marketer and purchaser before moving into sales. Charlie is a Director across all of our restaurants, and is responsible for the successful online wine shop. Every bottle is chosen by Charlie, utilising his connections made during his travels to bring the very best wines to our customers.

He is a familiar face on television, with appearances on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, and co-hosting Wine, Dine and Stein with brother Jack.

https://www.rickstein.com/about/charlie-stein/

Nick Hemming is the owner of the multi award winning gastro pub The Heron Inn at Malpas. His passion for fresh local produce is infectious and only purchase produce from a 23-mile radius of the pub. Nick works closely with Truro & Penwith College ensuring young people are given opportunities within hospitality through the apprenticeship program. Winning the ultimate prestigious award “Licensee of the Year Award 2022”with the British Innkeeping Institute, Nick and his wife Amanda were recognised this summer as BII Ambassadors for their continued contribution towards keeping pubs thriving within the community.

The couple have recently launched their new “Flaming Chef Cornish Streetfood” pop-up, where you will get a chance to taste some of the delicious dishes served by The Heron Inn at venues across the South West.

This is Nick’s 12th year demoing at the festival and he can’t wait to showcase some great classic food alongside Jude Kereama.

http://www.heroninnmalpas.co.uk/

Born and raised in New Zealand, Jude Kereama moved to the UK after training under Simon Gault. Having gained rewards in both Auckland and London he moved to Porthleven in 1996 and since moving to Cornwall, the New Zealander who is half Māori and half Chinese Malay, has become one of the County’s favourite chefs.

Chef Patron of Kota, one of Cornwall’s leading fine dining restaurants, and the more family-friendly Kota Kai, Jude proudly works with the best local suppliers. Porthleven provides him with endless inspiration, which is obvious in Jude’s cooking, combining the eclectic flavours of his heritage with the seasonal ingredients that are abundant in Cornwall.

Kota has been recognised by many eating out guides and is consistently a present name amongst the food and beverage awards.

Kota proudly holds three AA rosettes and has been named ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in the Cornwall Life Food & Drink Awards.

In previous years Jude has also been awarded ‘Chef of the Year’ and was awarded a ‘Special Contribution’ to the hospitality industry by Trencherman’s Guide Awards.

Kota and Kota Kai are both highly acclaimed by The Good Food Guide.

One of Jude’s proudest moments in his career so far, was representing the South West in four seasons of the Great British Menu. In his last appearance he narrowly missed out on serving a full course by just a few points but made it through to the banquet as the highest-scoring runner-up. This saw him serve the canapés and pre-desserts to 70 guests, celebrating British innovation and invention and was a chance for Jude to showcase his adopted home and celebrate the Cornish people through food.

Jude is passionate about causes close to his heart and proudly is an ambassador for Hospitality Action, raising vital funds to support hospitality people in crisis. He is also involved in fundraising for Macmillan, Action Against Hunger and the vital Fisherman’s Mission, which is the only national charity that works solely to support fishermen and their families.

http://kotarestaurant.co.uk/

Head Chef at Stein’s flagship The Seafood Restaurant, Pete, was born and bred in Padstow. He joined the ranks in 2000 at the age of 16 and began washing dishes as a kitchen porter at St Petroc’s Bistro where he worked for two years before heading off to travel around Thailand.

On his return to St Petroc’s, as a commis chef, he realised his passion for cooking and over the next four years progressed up to chef de partie as well as completing the Rick Stein Chef Apprenticeship. His constant desire to better himself then saw Pete make the move to The Seafood Restaurant to learn more under long-standing Head Chef Stephane Delourme. After nearly six years there, Pete moved up to London to further his culinary skills working at Claude Bosi’s two Michelin-starred Hibiscus as chef de partie for a couple of years. Following this, he returned to the Stein empire as Head Chef in Sandbanks where he had four very successful years before being promoted to Head Chef at The Seafood Restaurant. 

Originally from a beautiful village called Talaván in Cáceres, Extremadura, José has now lived in London for over 20 years, and is often described as the Godfather of Spanish cooking in the UK. José has several restaurants in London and the south-east: José, Pizarro, José Pizarro Broadgate, The Swan Inn, Esher, José Pizarro at the Royal Academy, The Poster Bar at the Royal Academy – and earlier this year he opened the doors to José by Pizarro at the Conrad Hilton in Abu Dhabi. He has written numerous cookbooks which have been translated into many languages and is a regular face on television and at festivals around the UK.

https://josepizarro.com/

Ben chef and owner of Onda Wadebridge and the Fox’s Revenge trained and graduated from the Jamie Oliver 15 apprenticeship programme back in 2012. He then spent some time travelling before heading back to Cornwall.

In Feb 2022 Ben took over the fox’s revenge, near Newquay. The 400 year old pub serves award winning Sunday roasts, in a fun, friendly and professional setting. Open 7 days a week putting his spin on pub classics.

In March 2023, Onda Wadebridge was born. Located in the centre of the town, and specialising in Italian cuisine. Simplicity is the key to both sites and Ben is humble in his approach to food focussing on big flavours and fine execution.

Alex moved from a small market town near Leicestershire to Cornwall in the early 2000’s. His career began at the Michelin starred restaurant “Ripley’s” where he started as a commis chef before moving up the ranks to Junior Sous. When the owners of Ripley’s took over the St Kew Inn, Alex moved with them and eventually became the Head Chef.

Next, Alex went to Rick Stein’s St Petroc’s Bistro where he was quickly promoted to Head Chef before heading up the team at Rick Stein’s The Cornish Arms. In 2017, after 4 years as Head Chef, Alex left Stein’s to take up the position as Head Chef at the Golden Lion in Padstow. A traditional and well-established local pub, he took what was already good and made it amazing. Alex is now the general manager and is at the forefront of the business.

http://www.goldenlionpadstow.co.uk/

Matthew was educated at Eton College, Roedean School, the University of Lancaster and the University Of Pennsylvania.

He has been a keen cook for most of his adult life. For twenty years he worked as a copywriter and creative director for a variety of advertising agencies. In 1986 he was invited to write a column about food in the Financial Times Saturday Review. In 1989 he became Food & Drink Editor and restaurant reviewer of The Guardian, positions he held until 2004. He continued to write about food for the Guardian until 2010.

He was responsible for cookery columns for the Illustrated London News and Esquire. He has also written for Vanity Fair, The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, the

Daily Telegraph, Business, Country Living, Country Homes & Interiors, Decanter, The Field, ES Magazine, Cuisine et Vins de France, Bon Appetit, Departures, Lonely Planet and Waitrose Food Illustrated among other publications.

He was Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year and Restaurateurs’ Writer of the Year in 1991, and Glenfiddich Restaurant Writer of the Year in 1992, and Glendfiddich Cookery Writer of the Year in 2005. He was also awarded the Premio Antic Corte Pallavicina in 2008 and the Premio Sicilia Madre Mediterranea in 2009.

He edited the Guardian Sausage Directory in 1992. In 1998 he published Rhubarb & Black Pudding (Fourth Estate), a book about the Lancastrian chef, Paul Heathcote and the Ribble Valley. Eating Up Italy (Fourth Estate; 2004), about Italians and their food, based on a trip on a Vespa from the tip of Southern Italy to Turin, was the Guild of Food Writers’ Book of the Year in 2005. This was followed by a cookery book, Cooking by Numbers (Virgin; 2007). His account of his gastronomic adventures in Sicily, Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons (2008; Ebury Press) won the Premio Sicilia Madre Mediterranea in 2009. His most recent book is Summer in the Islands – An Italian Odyssey, based on the six months he spent travelling among the Italian islands, was published in 2017.

Television series include Greatest Dishes in the World (Sky; 2005); The Forager’s Field Guide (ITV; 2005). He was one of the co-presenters of Market Kitchen (Good Food Channel; 2007 – 2010). He was one of the judges of The Great British Menu (BBC2) from 2006 to 2021.

Ben Prior formally of the multi award winning Ben’s Cornish Kitchen now rattles pans and and stirs pots at one of Cornwall’s most iconic restaurants, Porthminster Beach Cafe.

Ben continues the traditions and quality stamp of the last 30 years that have made Porthminster what it is today, taking advantage of the restaurant’s unique location helped by both the coastal kitchen garden and the local boats in St Ives’ still thriving harbour, as well as the fertile fields in the surrounding area.

Often called the ‘Yummy Brummie’, Glynn Purnell started cooking professionally at the age of 14. After securing a work experience placement in a hotel kitchen, he spent the next two years catching the number 966 bus to the Metropole Hotel at the NEC where he was quickly promoted to making salads and flipping burgers. A six-year stint followed, gaining experience in every department from banqueting to the A La Carte Terrace Restaurant, where he discovered his talent and passion for fine dining. It wasn’t long before he began winning awards including the prestigious Salon Culinaire.

His next professional step was as Chef de Partie at Simpson’s Restaurant where he progressed to the position of Sous Chef. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star and Glynn went on to win many accolades within the industry.

After training with top chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Claude Bosi, Glynn travelled abroad to work with well-known Michelin starred chefs in Europe. He went on to help launch Jessica’s in July 2003, which was awarded Birmingham’s first Michelin star back in 2005. Glynn is now the proud owner of Purnell’s Restaurant on Cornwall Street in Birmingham, which opened in July 2007 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2009, which it has retained for 14 consecutive years.

Glynn’s first venture outside of Birmingham, The Mount Pub in Henley-in-Arden, opened on 23 March 2022. 

Glynn has become a household name after taking part in the Great British Menu, winning twice and then later appearing as a mentor. He has previously featured on The Great British Food Revival and The Secret Chef, among other television programmes. He can regularly be seen on Saturday Kitchen as a host and guest chef. He presented the latest series of My Kitchen Rules UK alongside Rachel Allen on Channel 4 in 2017. 

https://purnellsrestaurant.com/

Group Head Kitchen Gardener – Home Grown Hotels

Horticulturalist, Ollie Hutson, grew up in the picturesque New Forest surrounded by nature. As a young boy he helped his Grandad on his allotment, which is where Ollie first fell in love with the production of fruit and veg.

Having studied a National Diploma in Countryside Management at Sparsholt College, Ollie spent the next few years working for himself as a countryside contractor helping to manage several woodlands, rivers, and a vineyard.

When his parents, Robin and Judy Hutson, launched The Pig Hotel Group in 2011, Ollie began working as a Kitchen Gardener. Having progressed to the role of Head Kitchen Gardener at THE PIG Hotel in the New Forest, he left his home in Hampshire to renovate and manage the kitchen garden at The Pig near Bath in 2013.

Ollie now works as Group Head Kitchen Gardener for Home Grown Hotels, and over the following years has overseen and design and management of all seven kitchen gardens within the group, as well a nursery from where he provides seedlings for the hotels. Ollie and his team of thirty gardeners produce upwards of fifty tonnes of produce annually, all of which is served in THE PIG’s restaurants.

https://www.thepighotel.com/

A rising star on the British food scene known for his infectious food pyrotechnics. Andi competed on the 2023 series of ‘Great British Menu’, representing the South West and achieved an impressive top score for not one but two of his competing courses, scoring an incredible 39/40 for his main from the judges. It’s inevitable to say that his success on this renowned show has put his food on a national level of excellence.

He first fell in love with food whilst fishing with his father as a young boy and has gone on to have the opportunity to learn from chefs such as Ben Quinn and Simon Stallard, which gave him a passion for open fire cooking.

It’s been a busy year for him, with writing his first cook book & he will be opening his own wood fired restaurant very soon right here in north cornwall with the accolades he’s with achieved over the past few years, you can be sure it will be something very unique & special.

Definitely keep eye out for him in 2024 as his pyrotechnics will be gracing your tv screens a few more times …

Matt presents the ever-popular BBC1 food and chat show, ‘Saturday Kitchen’. He is also the presenter of its partner show ‘Best Bites’ on BBC2. In addition, Matt co-hosts ‘Food Unwrapped’ on Channel 4. His most recent project is a small cookery school and filming kitchen near his home in Wales. He has written three cookbooks and regularly contributes to various lifestyle magazines.

Matt first trained as a chef under Marco Pierre White, Alastair Little and Sally Clarke, amongst others. Matt and his wife Lisa ran an award-winning restaurant in Monmouthshire for fourteen years.

Tim chose cooking as a career because of his love of eating and he knew he wanted to be a chef from a young age! He began his career at Cornwall College St Austell. Whilst at college, Tim enjoyed a number of stages at various restaurants, including one at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow working with head chef, Stephane Delourme, who has been a significant mentor for Tim and who offered him a permanent position as a commis chef.

After a while, Tim decided to move to London to work for Marcus Wareing and was a part of the opening team at his restaurant, The Gilbert Scott, in the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. He then took a position with Michel Roux Junior at the 2 Michelin starred Le Gavroche.

After working in London, Tim came back to Cornwall. In January 2017, Tim took on the position of Senior Chef de Partie, working with Guy Owen, at The Idle Rocks in St Mawes, Cornwall, he was later promoted to head chef.

In January 2020, Tim took the bold step of launching his own business as the chef-owner of The Barley Sheaf in Gorran, Cornwall, in partnership with his wife Terri. Then again in 2022 taking over The Rising Sun Inn Altarnun, both enterprises showcase the best local and seasonal produce.

https://idlerocks.com

Nancarrow is a 100 acre organic farm in Cornwall which has been farmed by the same family since 1782 producing their own Red Devon Beef and Suffolk Lamb for the table, as well as a productive kitchen gardens, butchery and larder.

Jack and the Nancarrow team have developed a next generation Farmhouse Kitchen, putting on year round dinners & events with the farm & the fire pit inspiring each menu. As happy on the farm as they are in the kitchen, the team are committed to celebrating the whole of each beast, alongside what’s best in the garden & hedgerows at that moment.

https://www.nancarrowfarm.co.uk/

Ed Hughes is a leading accredited Beer Sommelier and is responsible for the Mariners collaboration with Paul Ainsworth and Sharp’s Brewery. Ed has regularly featured on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and in 2018 co-authored Sharp’s first cook book brimming with more than 60 recipes inspired by the Cornish coast. The book, ‘Just Add Beer’, profiles some of the UK’s top chefs – from award-winning street food chefs to those with Michelin stars to their names.

Ed grew up in Rock, North Cornwall, but his passion for beer began while managing bars in Nottingham including the infamous Brass Monkey at the age of 19. A trip to Belgium around this time inspired and educated Ed, not just in the quality and variations of flavour of beer but the pride the Belgians had in beer and beer service, a similar respect that French have with wine. Today, Ed provides expert beer tastings both at the brewery and with key customers, as well as in the renowned Sharp’s Secret Bar. Ed regularly performs demonstrations on beer and on beer and food matching to audiences at events around the country. Having worked with top chefs such as Paul Ainsworth, Nathan Outlaw, Jude Kereama and Tom Brown, Ed has developed an in-depth knowledge of pairing beer and food and regularly provides interviews for media on this subject. Another string to Ed’s bow is judging beer industry competitions, for example the SIBA, World Beer Awards and the European Beer Star in Munich.

Henk owns The Halfway House Inn between Wadebridge and Padstow as well as Trevisker’s Kitchen and Dining at Trevisker Garden Centre, 2 miles outside Padstow.

Known for cooking steak, Henk’s lifelong passion for beef is understandable – he is South African and his grandfather was a cattle farmer and butcher. Expert in the art of butchery and the science of beef ageing, Henk effortlessly transforms cuts of beef into mouthwatering taste sensations.

Over the years Henk’s worked across north Cornwall developing a loyal following with local clientele and world-famous chefs alike. He took over the Halfway House in 2016 and opened Trevisker’s in 2017.

Henk has developed a reputation for excellent quality, locally sourced food, especially fish from Newlyn. Now his famous steaks and ‘very nice chips’ are a trademark of his menu.

His mission is simple – no fuss or frills, just excellent food.

https://treviskers.com/

Having moved from Gloucestershire to his beloved Cornwall at a young age, this is where Grant started his culinary journey. He left school at age 15 and started working in a fast paced hotel kitchen. This is where he learnt my craft and after working for many years in the county’s best restaurants, Grant found myself at the door of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, where he fell in love with Italian cookery and the origin of ingredients and dishes in Italian cuisine over the course of ten years. Grant’s main mentors were Adam Banks, Andy Appleton, and of course Jamie Oliver and Genaro Conteldo.

After the closure of Fifteen, Grant was approached by Eddie Lofthouse of Harbour Brewery who asked him to take on the Atlantic in Polzeath. The menu he designed is both affordable and high-quality, with a huge emphasis on regional Italian cuisine which goes perfectly with Harbour’s Cornish beer.

Grant runs the kitchen with the ethos of sustainability, making the most of local produce and using awesome ingredients from Italy.

https://atlanticbarandkitchen.com/

Christopher Archambault is a lifelong chef who has run the gamut of London fine dining to Canadian ski resorts, The Goodwood Estate to the Channel Islands. The last decade has found him to be a key player at The Headland Hotel and its five star journey, and was responsible for gaining its three rosettes. The COVID era was spent with pre-opening madness at The Bodmin Jail Hotel, allowing him to expand his remit far beyond the pass. In his ‘downtime’ he has been a regular feature writer and food photographer for regional magazines, a trainer for a leading knife manufacturer, a product developer for one of the UK’s leading butchers and a judge/demonstrator for countless trade shows, farmer’s markets, competitions and food festivals. He is also a member of the UK’s Guild of Food Writers.

Chris considers the overthinking of details, finding himself easily bored with repetition, and an openness to all avenues of inspiration a key to his varied kitchen life. ‘I’m as happy constructing an uber-detailed fine dining dish as going down the rabbit hole of the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. I feel incredibly fortunate to be Head of Food at the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, and our recent expansion has been a great experience, and still full of potential. There’s a quiet level of contentment that can be found as you reach a quarter century in the industry; you know what you like, how to please people, and how to get the best out of the team around you. At The Duchy; first and foremost in our thoughts is simplicity without sacrificing exactness, and trying wherever possible to use our immediate environment to enhance with integrity and sustainability.’

https://www.duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk/cafe

Annie Seabourne spent most of her working life as a Fishmonger, for the last 15 years Annie has been teaching and passing on her knowledge of fish at her cottage in Mawnan Smith near Falmouth.

A day at My Fish Kitchen consists of filleting, simple fish cookery and eating up to 8 types of fish in a 5 hour session. Her underlying passion is to encourage people to support their local Fishmongers and eat more fish!

http://www.myfishkitchen.co.uk/

Tucked away in the most Southerly point on the UK mainland Head Chef Joseph Fallowfield has been quietly honing his craft , building a team & winning awards. Tasting menus are crafted with a focus on quality and expression of the unique locale. The restaurant has been evolving since its inception and is gaining reputation for its eccentric combinations of both flavour and tradition.

After an apprenticeship here in Cornwall, Joseph started his career with two years in France, followed by positions which include eponymous restaurants such as The Elephant, Kota & The Square in Porthleven. This coupled with over 17 years experience ensures that you are in safe hands!”

https://www.houselbay.com/eat-drink

Neil is executive chef of Watergate Bay Hotel, overseeing all the hotel’s food offerings including three restaurants – Zacry’s, The Beach Hut and The Living Space. With a background in Michelin restaurants in London and South Africa, he was also head chef at Sir Terence Conran’s iconic Bluebird on the Kings Road, and L’Acajou at Sandy Lane, Barbados.

Neil’s lifelong passion for local, seasonal food constantly inspires him to seek out small-scale artisan producers – to give his menus a sense of place, and support sustainable sourcing across all his restaurants. Taking inspiration from his travels around the world, Neil creates diverse and imaginative menus – and is also sharing his expertise to develop the chefs of tomorrow.

December 2023 see’s the launch of Zacry’s on the sea wall, the hotel’s reimagined restaurant where provenance, place and perspective take centre stage, all in front of the Atlantic view.

https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/

Kate Attlee is the owner and chef behind Sabzi; a multi award winning collection of takeaway delis in Cornwall specialising in seasonal, Middle Eastern inspired cuisine.

With a daily changing menu, and a full menu of homemade sweets to compliment the savoury, Sabzi offers its creative, sustainable and delicious cuisine to Truro, Falmouth, Padstow and Nansledan.

Former Masterchef quarter finals Kate is passionate about bringing Sabzi’s creative and beautiful food to Cornwall’s residents and visitors in an accessible way by cooking with humble ingredients grown locally wherever possible

https://www.sabzideli.co.uk/

Alex Hollywood is a passionate home cook and food writer with 2 popular cookery books under her belt and a devoted following on social media.

A self taught cook, Alex worked on a semi professional basis in the French Alps before returning to the UK to work in the food industry, creating recipes for books
and writing for various food editorials.

Alex’s recipes are quick, simple and delicious. She incorporates flavours from her French and Scandinavian heritage Her books ‘My Busy Kitchen’ and ‘Cooking Tonight’ are renowned for their ‘waste not want not’ recipes and She posts weekly recipes on her website and her popular twitter and Instagram accounts.

As well as appearing on various TV shows , ITV This Morning, Nadia’s Family Feasts and Ainsley’s Food we love, Alex regularly writes for magazines and hosts live cooking demos and book signings at The BBC Good Food Show, Thame Food
Festival Gloucester food ,Festival Bradford upon Avon Food festival and Hampton Court.

Alex lives in the Kent countryside, growing and cooking produce picked from her kitchen garden for family, friends and her son Joshua.

Rich is a restaurateur, cook, and nose to tail fish advocate passionate about all things fishing. A lifetime spent around the industry, and years of food obsessed travel, have sparked a curiosity for exploring new ideas in this very traditional world.

At his restaurant, Argoe, in Newlyn, and artisan fish wholesaler, Forgotten Fish, he continues to look for new ways that we can lessen the impact of our fish consumption, whilst also supporting the industry to make those changes. Rich’s interest in cooking centres around traditional recipes from the coastal regions of Spain, Portugal and France, where harbourside restaurants like his honour the local catch with a humble approach and cuisines deeply embedded in the landscapes around them.

Ben is a chef with a deep respect for, and fascination with, ingredients. His cooking emphasises provenance over complexity, and with a CV that spans many a restaurant with wood and charcoal at the heart of their cooking, fire has become an integral part of his process.

Formerly head chef at Rochelle canteen, following stints at Beagle and Black Axe Mangal, Coombs is now head chef at Argoe in Newlyn, where he was drawn towards the town’s enduring connection with the sea, and the landscapes surrounding it. The produce found here lends itself well to his cooking; a pursuit of simplicity, pared back, honest and celebratory.

Chef Patron of Paul Ainsworth at No6.

Hailing from Hillsborough in Northern Ireland, Chris McClurg now lives and works in Padstow, North Cornwall. He has worked with Chef Paul Ainsworth at his eponymous restaurant, Paul Ainsworth at No6, for over a decade.

Drawn to the kitchen from a young age, Chris spent three years under the tutelage of Jack O’Shea at his iconic London butchery, honing skills that set him apart from the pack the moment he stepped into the No6 kitchen. Rising through the ranks over the years, he was part of the team that won their Michelin star in 2013, before making Senior Sous Chef in 2014.

In 2018 he was named Observer Food Monthly’s Young Chef of the Year and in March 2022 made it through to the prestigious Great British Menu banquet with his dessert ‘A Trifle Derry Girls’.

Chris likes to put his modern stamp on the classics and is continually developing new dishes to add to the menu. Earlier this year Chris was promoted to Chef Patron of Paul Ainsworth at No6.

Group Culinary Director, The Ainsworth Collection.

John Walton began his career in hospitality at an early age. After leaving school in 1999, he joined Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant as a Commis Chef. The experience gave him the desire to pursue a career in hospitality, enrolling in a Modern Apprenticeship course at Cornwall College in Camborne while joining Rick’s team full time.

In February 2002 John left Cornwall to work as a Commis Chef for Gordon Ramsay Holdings, working with Marcus Wareing at Petrus on St James’ Street, which later relocated to The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. Within three years, John was promoted to Senior Chef de Partie.”

“It was at Petrus that John first met Paul Ainsworth, who was Petrus’s Senior Sous Chef. Three years later, following a successful career in London, John left Petrus and joined Paul in Cornwall, where Paul was setting up a new restaurant. The pair reunited and their No6 journey began. John and Paul’s working relationship has spanned over 20 years.

Recognised for his culinary skill, in 2009 John was awarded Southwest Chef of the Year and became Head Chef of the newly renamed Paul Ainsworth at No6 the same year. Since then, John has been a key player in the restaurant’s success. In 2012, John was the Head Chef of No6, and Paul was Chef Patron, when the restaurant earned its Michelin Star in 2012.

In 2019, John was appointed Executive Chef, and tasked with setting up and developing Mahe, the newly formed Cookery School and Chef’s Table at No6.

In January 2022, John was promoted to become Group Culinary Director of The Ainsworth Collection. Working alongside Paul and chefs at all The Ainsworth Collection restaurants, he plays a key role in maintaining the group’s high standard of cuisine. John is also responsible for dish development and leading the group’s external hospitality activities.

A proud Padstownian, John lives in the town with his partner Verity and their two children, Macy and Everly.

Rose is a self-taught cook, a professional actress, and a voiceover artist. Her three great passions are performing, cooking, and being a mother to her two young children, Merlin and Wilder.

“Mum on Muddy Lane” is her social media handle, which she started at the beginning of 2023, which is where she shares all of her content.

“I decided it was time to put my talents and passions into something useful, by cooking easy meals, and hopefully making people laugh too.”

She started filming herself cooking, then presenting the films with comical voiceovers and relatable “anyone can cook” guides. Rose has now successfully been working with brands across the country to provide food content for their businesses. Her following has grown by a thousand a month and continues to rise.

“I’m flying the flag for all the home cooks, the ones that aren’t applauded for getting the 7th meal of the week onto the table effortlessly, using up odds and ends they have in the fridge and what their wallets allow. Fantastic food doesn’t have to be pretentious or expensive. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone at the Padstow Xmas festival and having some fun sharing one of my easy, delicious Christmas recipes with everyone.”

Follow Rose @mumonmuddylane on Instagram and TikTok for more of her easy, funny, relatable recipes and ramblings.

Husband and wife team, Josh and Georgie are classically and internationally trained, they love to cook food from all round the world but specialise in modern British cookery, taking influences from Greek and Thai cuisines

Georgie has more than 20 years experience the catering industry, including working for Rick Stein and Margot’s in Padstow and
she spent six years working on superyachts throughout the Mediterranean. In 2012 she moved back to Padstow and started life as a private chef running Kaloura’s Kitchen.

Josh moved to Cornwall to work at The Basement in Padstow before moving on to Michelin starred Driftwood and Gidleigh Park. Though Josh has helped with Kaloura’s Kitchen over the years, he joined full time in 2020.

In 2023 they moved to new premises in Wadebridge which they share with Adrian Oliver of Cornish Field Kitchen. From there they sell their Kaloura’s Kitchen at Home frozen range and also host chef table evenings

Born in Wales, raised in the middle of the UK, Adrian landed in Cornwall in 1996 to work at Margot’s Bistro in Padstow, initially for a season, but like so many Cornwall got under his skin so he never left. After buying the bistro in 1999 Adrian spent the next 16 years quietly doing his own thing. In July 2019 he acquired a food trailer, which was slowly turned into the Cornish Field Kitchen with help from family and friends. In 2023, Adrian moved to new premises in Wadebridge, sharing the space with Kaloura’s Kitchen. Adrian very much enjoys his new worklife, be it Private Chef, Market Trader, online sales or general problem solver.

Back in 2017 Adam started his YouTube Channel ‘Shropshire Lad’ after being convinced to do so by a friend, showcasing his outdoor cooking adventures in Shropshire. Five years on, what started out as simply sharing his passion for cooking with fire, quality local ingredients, and of course Shropshire and it’s incredible food scene, has become his fulltime profession since making the tough decision to finish his career as a Youth and Community Worker back in February 2022.

Adam has now established a solid reputation as a live fire chef nationally, delivering pop ups and events, hosting and demonstrating on fire cookery stages across the UK, delivering regular public classes in the art of cooking with fire, building a following across multiple social media platforms and making several television appearances. These include winning Heston Blumenthal’s show ‘Crazy Delicious’ on Netflix and channel 4, a guest slot on Nadia Hussein’s show ‘Fast Flavour’ and more recently as a critic on MasterChef the Professionals where he was described as ‘one of the leaders in the UK street food and pop-up scene’.

In May 2023 Adam opened Embers, a cafe and events space that offers accessible fire cooking in cafe style setting, a woodland lodge in Ironbridge, Shropshire. Cafe by day, and events space by night at Embers Adam hosts a variety of different themed nights and chef collaborations. There is also a fire cookery school on suite, with a regular offering of bespoke cooking courses all bases around the different mediums within live fire gastronomy.

Adam’s style is to ‘not mess about’ and simply take the best of the ingredients available, allow bold natural flavours to collide and then introduce them to the fire to, ‘elevate flavours to levels that cannot be achieved in a normal kitchen’.

Valentine Warner is a cook, food writer and broadcaster, renowned for his deep understanding of ingredients and his ability to make something delicious with apparently little. Cooking in home kitchens, caves, up trees, in jungles and he’s also far more likely to be found chatting octopus recipes with Greek widows than molecular gastronomy with Heston. He describes his kitchen approach as ‘international grandmother’.

Regarding his field guides as important as his cook books, he believes a love and understanding of nature is integral to good cooking. Val views life in terms of either “edible or inedible”, people too and that the best way to understand a country or its people is through its stomach.

Finding himself on television in 2008, he has made 7 series spanning BBC2, UKTV, Fox and National Geographic.

Valentine has written 5 cookery books, three of which he illustrated. His fifth book The Consolation Of Food Stories About Life and Death, Seasoned With Recipes is more a story book with recipes than a cookbook.

Val is a founding partner of the Hepple Distillery, Northumberland, producing invigorating spirits from the wilds. He is also co-founder and host of Kitchen On The Edge Of The World, a series of special food and craft events, beneath the light show of the Arctic Norway.

When not working he will likely be fishing or otherwise found in the woods rather than the office. Mossy stick or spoon in hand, he would generally prefer to be on his feet.

My name is chef Tom lodge, I am from wales and have been the creative director of the muddy toad in wales, I have been lucky enough to provide recipes to bbc wales and last summer did a street food pop up at Bruno’s on trevone I have been lucky enough to tour the uk with foodies Festival. I am now looking forward to my new adventure at the ivy house restaurant in St Merryn where I will be assisting the owners of 28 years The Bennett family in achieving culinary excellence and striving to simplify perfection.

I started in kitchens in Bedfordshire, straight from school when I was 15. I was always interested in cooking from a young age so decided to give kitchens a go as soon as I could. As soon as I did I loved the buzz and couldn’t get enough of it!! I worked my way up to head chef at our local pub, before my wife and children took the plunge to move down to Cornwall in 2019.

I started working for Paul Ainsworth at the mariners. I worked alongside Joe Rozier as senior sous chef, which taught me a lot about the DNA of cooking, and flavour profiles of alot of local Cornish produce I never had the chance to work with before.
After 4 years I decided to broaden my horizons and started at St Kew inn in April of this year. In August Mike and Sarah handed me the reins of the kitchen. My style of cooking is pub classics done with a small twist. We are lucky enough to work with some of the best local suppliers to get some of the most amazing produce.

Away from the pub what’s better than exploring the Cornish coastline with my wife, our three children and our little dog.