2009 Pub Restaurant Chef Award: Sponsored by bisto

Winner: Dominic Chapman, The Royal Oak, Maidenhead

While Dominic Chapman’s hereditary passion for food comes from growing up with the family business of running the highly acclaimed Castle Hotel in Taunton for more than 50 years, he has picked up valuable culinary knowledge from working overseas in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

He has also gained experience from working with renowned chefs in the UK such as The Fat Duck’s Heston Blumenthal and Kensington Place’s Rowley Leigh.

Chapman, who took over as head chef at The Royal Oak in January 2007, relished the challenge of putting the pub, previously best known for being owned by Sir Michael Parkinson, on the culinary map.

Improving the food offer has been a success which he has done by establishing supplier relationships that will enable him to source the best quality ingredients and trying to source locally as much as possible. The pub won its first Bib Gourmand award in 2008 and retained it in January 2009. This year Chapman was named best pub chef by the Good Food Guide 2009.

Nominees:
Dominic Chapman
The Royal Oak, Maidenhead
Mick Illingworth
The Thatcher’s Arms, Mount Bures, Essex
Michael Ward
The Highwayman Inn, Burrow, Kirkby Lonsdale

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