I moved down to the south coast 6 years ago and haven't looked back. Its been a bit of a whirled wind experience working with celebrity chef Mitch Tonks at Fish Works in Christchurch, overseeing the award winning sea food restaurant, fish cookery school and fishmongers.
From there I was catapulted into the head chef position at the Museum Inn the multi award-winning country free house in Farnham. This was a real spring board for me, there I was cooking for the likes of Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Marco Pierre White, AA Gil, Jamie Oliver and Gennaro Contaldo on a regular basis you have to be on top form. After 2 years there, I teamed up with Mark Thornton at the newly refurbished Bull Inn, in Wimborne St Giles. Once opened, the awards kept coming, Michelin Guide within 6 months, Sawdays Special Places, Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique and Luxury Hotel Specialists and a then a the jewel in the crown a Michelin Bib Gourmand, for excellent food, the only restaurant in Dorset.
I am now working with celebrity chef Jez Barfoot. We are set to open our own restaurant called, 'The Old Squash Court' with cookery school, deli and coffee shop. Together they will be creating dishes which will be exciting, accessible and interesting. The menu will be inspired from the fresh, seasonal ingredients from their own kitchen garden on the Deans Court Estate, the first in the country to be accredited organic by the Soil Association. 'The Old Squash Court' will be opening later this year in Wimborne.
I have always loved food and cooking for my friends and family is a huge passion of mine. Whilst living in France I became really interested in growing my own produce and since then freshness of ingredients and seasonality have become central to my cooking. I am also extremely passionate about supporting and promoting local producers and believe that food is central to community life - something that is so important in French culture.
In 2010 I returned to the UK to take part in Masterchef and have since worked running my own catering business and cooking for William and Ali at Deans Court (I really have those guys to thank for such a lot!) Most recently my culinary highlights have been masterminding The Great Outdoors at the Feast of Dorset and meeting Matt while working at the Bull in Wimborne St Giles... oh and obviously setting up The Hungry Black Dog Supper Club, of course!!
