If you’re looking for somewhere to indulge in delicious fine-dining, you’re in luck – Gloucestershire is fortunate enough to be blessed with a plethora of restaurants offering stunning seasonal produce, lovingly prepared by talented chefs.
In no particular order, here are 11 of Gloucestershire’s most amazing chefs.
1. Chris Fryer – The Frogmill
Starting his career in hospitality at just 14 years old as a pot washer at The Greenway Hotel in Shurdington, Chris Fryer worked his way up the career ladder to join some of the top kitchens in Gloucestershire, including Ellenborough Park, Montpellier Lodge and Slaughter’s Manor House. Sourcing local ingredients from the Cotswolds, Fryer is now head chef at The Frogmill, an idyllic restaurant in Andoversford cooking up British classics.
2. Mark Stinchcombe – Eckington Manor
Mark Stinchcombe, alongside his wife Sue, run the kitchen at Eckington Manor. In 2015 he won MasterChef: The Professionals, where he was crowned one of the country’s finest chefs.
Starting his career in Ston Easton Park in Somerset, Mark then moved to Michelin starred Driftwood in Cornwall, Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck and Le Champignon Sauvage – where he and Sue met.
Mark also heads up the cookery school at Eckington Manor, where the kitchens hold a ‘farm to fork’ ethos, with many ingredients sourced on-site.
3. Jonathon Pons – The Kingham Plough
Jonathon Pons, head chef at The Kingham Plough, cut his teeth at Oxfordshire’s award-winning Feathered Nest, Cheltenham’s Ellenborough Park, and country hotel The Frogmill, before heading to Chipping Norton to run The Kingham Plough.
The restaurant produces modern British dishes within a charming Cotswold location, serving up dishes such as The Plough cheeseburger; fish pie; cod in pancetta; pork tenderloin; and rosary goat’s cheese and thyme ravioli.
4. Marcus McGuinness – The Greenway Hotel
After first learning to cook flapjacks with his mum, Marcus McGuinness has since worked alongside extraordinary chefs including number six in our list, David Everitt-Matthais, and Claude Bosi, before becoming head chef at The Greenway Hotel in Cheltenham
The restaurant holds 2 AA Rosettes for its standards and service, with delicious dishes on offer from Marcus’ repertoire, including poached & roasted hake, confit lemon and mussels, pickled raisins and brioche, and terrine of confit chicken & ham.
5. James ‘Bob’ Parkinson – Made By Bob
Gloucestershire chef Bob Parkinson is the man behind the popular Cirencester eatery Made by Bob. After working in London’s famous Bibendum restaurant, Che on St James Street, and as head chef in a successful Notting Hill gastropub, he made his way to the Cotswolds to work at The Swan at Southrop.
After starting a family, Bob launched Made by Bob in May 2008. The restaurant and bar also boasts a deli – stocking breads, cheese and pastries – all made by the man himself and ready to take away. Menus change daily and are prepared using seasonal, local and international ingredients.
6. David Everitt-Mattias – Le Champignon Sauvage
One of Gloucestershire’s most well-known fine dining establishments, Le Champignon Sauvage opened back in 1987 by husband and wife team David and Helen Everitt-Mattias.
Boasting one Michelin stars, the restaurant in Cheltenham is led by award-winning chef David Everitt-Mattias, known for his experimentation with both well-known and more luxurious ingredients.
Le Champignon Sauvage’s menu encapsulates modern French cuisine with ‘original touches’ and can be enjoyed inside the restaurant’s intimate dining room.
7. Andrew Kojima – Koj
Andrew ‘Koj’ Kojima became a household name when he reached the final of MasterChef in 2012, spring boarding his career into the culinary world.
Half Japanese and half British, Koj launched his namesake restaurant in the heart of Cheltenham through a kickstarter campaign, offering casual Japanese dining with no sushi!
Following a successful pop-up trial, the restaurant became a permanent addition to the town in 2017; offering a unique experience where delicious Japanese dishes are cooked from the venue’s open kitchen. Koj boasts an informal dining space designed to get people socialising over grazing dishes, and a charming cocktail bar upstairs.
8. Alyn Williams – The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
Chef patron of The Wild Rabbit since May 2018, Alyn Williams has worked alongside Gordon Ramsey, and as head chef for Marcus Wareing at his two Michelin star restaurant in Knightsbridge.
Voted national chef of the year in 2012, Alyn enjoys using Daylesford Farm’s organic market garden to collect both inspiration and ingredients for his dishes.
The Wild Rabbit is part of the Daylesford Estate in Kingham, offering seasonal food from one of the country’s ‘most sustainable organic farms.’
9. Gareth Fulford – Purslane
Specialising in fish and seafood dishes, Gareth Fulford of Puslane Restaurant in Cheltenham has been working in kitchens across the United Kingdom since he was 16-years-old.
Coming from a family of butchers, Gareth says he loves the ‘diversity of different seafood species found along the British coastline’ and uses fresh, sustainably-caught seafood in all of his dishes, along with locally sourced produce from the Cotswolds.
Running the restaurant with his wife Helena, the award-winning team offers a relaxed fine-dining experience in the centre of Cheltenham.
10. Nick Deverell-Smith – The Churchill Arms at Paxford
Making a name for itself since February 2015, this stunning 17th-century pub near Chipping Campden is run by head chef and proprietor Nick Deverell-Smith.
With 15 years of experience in award-winning restaurants, including a spell working under Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre-White, guests won’t be disappointed by the delicious British classics developed by Nick at The Churchill Arms.
Ingredients for each of the restaurant’s dishes come from one of three main sources, each within a 10-mile radius.
11. Jon Howe – Lumiere
Operated by husband and wife team Jon and Helen Howe, Lumiere in Cheltenham offers contemporary food served up in comfortable surroundings.
Promising a memorable and relaxed experience, head chef Jon uses a fantastic range of fresh and seasonal produce from locally sourced suppliers. The menu changes regularly, but is always made in-house.
The restaurant describes Jon’s culinary style as ‘modern British’ contributing to Lumiere’s ‘relaxed and intimate atmosphere.’
By Melissa Hamblett
