Food & Drink

The finalists for this year’s South West Chef of the Year competition have been chosen and now face the toughest challenge yet - to prepare their dishes for a daunting line-up of judges on 24th October at Exeter College. The finalists have been selected from eight semi-finalists in the Professional and Young Professional categories and ten in the Student/Apprentice Chef category. The finalists will be cooking a three-course menu using compulsory ingredients revealed just one week in advance, as well as a mystery box of ingredients supplied just 30 minutes before the final begins. Chefs...

Fans of Ottery St Mary’s Rusty Pig can expect an even more exceptional service with the addition of a second chef and new events manager.

Experienced chef Rob Tanner joins head chef Mark Russell at the ethically-minded restaurant in Ottery St Mary.

Rob attended catering college in Bath and was fortunate to gain work experience at renowned establishments including Claridges, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and Le Gavroche. He went on to work as a chef for restaurants in Bristol and Frome.

His new role came after a chance visit to the restaurant in Yonder Street...

As this is a restaurant review you would be forgiven for thinking that I would start with the food.

That, of course, makes perfect sense but what is put on your plate does not a meal-eth make.

The ambience, the décor, the music can all make or break a dining experience, but one of the biggest influences for me is the staff.

And that is a big concern for a lot of restaurant owners in Exeter… because there just isn’t enough talent to go around.

Having knowledge of just how difficult recruitment currently is made our visit to the city’s newest eaterie, Poh,...

On 19 September 2018, Lympstone Manor will be hosting its inaugural Protégé Dinner event to celebrate the talented chefs who have trained under celebrated British chef Michael Caines during their formative years.

Each of the eight hand-selected protégés will be joining Michael from across the UK and Ireland to create a collaborative eight-course tasting menu in his Michelin-starred kitchen.

All of these chefs now hold the accolade of running their own kitchens at properties including the Grove of Narberth, Ballyfin Demesne and Kentisbury Grange.

The collaborative...