Member of the Month August 2026: Stuart Langdell

Stuart Langdell, owner of Charlotte, a rosti house in Kenilworth, is The Staff Canteen's Member of the Month for August 2026.

Stuart has been a member since April 2023 and as thanks for being a regular contributor, will receive a TSC mug, a item of merchandise from our online store, and be entered into member of the year 2026 competition.

>>> Find out more about Stuart and follow him <<<

Stuart's path to running his own café has taken in the British Army, a tour in Iraq, and some of the Midlands' best-known Michelin kitchens, before a concept he believes hasn't been tried anywhere else in the UK: a potato rösti served like a pizza, with toppings drawn from around the world.

From the army to the kitchen

Stuart grew up on the Bromford estate in Birmingham with his mum, dad and brothers. His dad worked at Jaguar Land Rover and his mum was a barmaid, and while there wasn't much of a food culture at home, one memory stuck: turning 14 and being taken to a Harry Ramsden's in Sheldon, complete with a man playing the piano.

"It was an amazing experience," Stuart said. "What it signified to me is that the food is not the most important thing, it's the experience."

At 17, Stuart joined the British Army, and at 18 he was in Iraq, until an accident two weeks into the tour ended his career as a soldier.

He went to work with his dad in the building trade, but it lacked the army's camaraderie. A turning point came at an old-school Chinese restaurant in Shirley, Birmingham, his first time eating out as an adult.

"I thought, this is delicious, I want to learn how to do this for myself," he said.

He started cooking at home, buying pots, pans and a book from Wing Yip, the Chinese supermarket in the city, before leaving building for hospitality.

Learning the trade

Stuart's first kitchen job was in a country pub, breaking down whole lambs, pigs and venison alongside a Romanian ex-army head chef.

A college talk from chef Glynn Purnell led to a stage in his kitchen, and from there to Marco Pierre White at Yew Tree Inn, a gastropub that taught him the fundamentals: an excellent parfait, good mashed potato or a simple velouté.

"It was always about putting a lot of effort into a high standard of food that was recognisable to people," he said.

"Whereas with the more Michelin food, everything on that plate is a little bit alien to the general public."

Stuart then moved through Simpsons in Birmingham, working the garnish section at over 100 covers on a Saturday, then The Cross at Kenilworth, under chef Adam Bennett, where he learned "delivering a consistent standard through technique," something he found "a lot of restaurants don't quite get”.

A brief stint at Gordon Ramsay's Petrus in London followed, cut short by the reality of the cost of living in the capital on a junior chef's wage.

Stuart later helped Marco Pierre White open a new restaurant, before taking on a head chef role at The Duncombe Arms in Derbyshire. winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand and two AA rosettes.

He then stepped back from fine dining for health reasons and was considering leaving cheffing altogether. That was until a school friend and business partner approached him with an idea for a café in Kenilworth.

The idea behind Charlotte

Charlotte began as a French and European-inspired cafe on Warwick Road, with dishes like French onion soup, bourguignon and croque monsieur on the menu.

Its signature dish came from the slopes: Stuart's business partner is a skier, Stuart a snowboarder, and the pair had eaten potato rösti on trips to Switzerland, where "everything's very traditional, they'll do it the same way everyone's done it for the past 50 to 100 years," Stuart said. "They don't deviate, they don't change."

Stuart's first rösti on the menu, Swiss-inspired with Dijon mayonnaise, ham, cheese and béchamel, went down well. That got him thinking about pizza, another dish built around one base and endless toppings.

“Mushroom and brie, chorizo and wood-fired peppers and feta, flavour combinations from around the culinary map of the world, applied to the same grated potato base," he said.

It needed some explaining to customers at first.

Stuart said: "Most people couldn't even say the word, so we say: think of a hash brown, topped like a pizza."

The menu also runs to full English breakfasts, eggs benedict and French-style baguettes, giving customers who don't want the signature dish somewhere else to land.

"There's no point sticking to one style of thing if you can do more," he said.

"It delivers something different, but there's also choice, which is very important with the casual dining public."

Building something different

Charlotte seats around 70 covers, refurbished by Stuart and his business partner themselves, with booth seating for privacy. It's currently a daytime coffee shop, with plans to open evenings now Stuart has taken full control.

Running his own kitchen has changed how he thinks about the job.

"As a head chef in a fine dining restaurant, all you care about is what you're putting on the plate," he said.

"Whereas doing this, if the customer doesn't like it, you very quickly realise it's your money you're wasting."

Stuart believes the concept has room to grow well beyond Kenilworth.

"Pizza didn't exist in the UK before the seventies, and now look at it, it's everywhere," he said.

"I've come up with something that can be replicated easily in any town or city. It's a huge opportunity, but I've got to get this first site right."

To get to know a bit more about Jason, we asked him some quick-fire questions to finish

Name a comfort food that isn't considered "cheffy", but that you love to eat

"On the back seat of my car is a box of Tyrrells beef brisket and peppercorn crisps. I'll have one of those on the way to work and on the way back."

What do you like about being part of The Staff Canteen?

"I think it's important that chefs share knowledge. We can all hold on to a couple of secrets, but I think it's best if we all share knowledge and thoughts.

“This is a craft, and the skills beyond a craft need to be shared so that we can all better ourselves."

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a chef, and as an owner?

"As a younger chef, choose the places and chefs you want to work for, but equally move on when it's time. Don’t hang around anywhere too long.

“As an owner, it's appreciating staff, front of house more than anything, because they’re the people dealing with customers and their requests.”

What has been your proudest career achievement?

"Before doing this, I would have said achieving two rosettes and a Bib Gourmand at The Duncombe Arms. But the real achievement is this now, coming up with a different food concept that's not been tried in the UK before."

What are your hopes and plans for the future in hospitality?

"Getting this place open of an evening, so people see it as an all-day food concept, then in time opening more, in other towns and cities around the West Midlands and beyond."