
Signs of life for Dorset’s evolving culinary scene?

On paper, Dorset looks a prime destination for a thriving culinary scene.
With coast and countryside on the doorstep, there is plenty of excellent produce available, while the demographic of those living in the area is older than the UK’s average, and more affluent.
Throw in the additional holidaymakers heading to the beach over the summer, the ingredients are there for success.
But within the county itself, there is a widely varying audience, seeking different things.
Around half of Dorset’s near 800,000 population are concentrated in the east of the county, namely Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
The remainder of the county is largely rural, with towns such as Weymouth and Dorchester to the west.

A chef who was enjoying some success in Dorchester, was Neal Chainey at FOUND. It opened in the summer of 2023, but due to rising costs, closed its doors in December 2024.
Mark Hix also closed The Oyster and Fish House restaurant in Lyme Regis last year, after 16 years of trading. Rockfish is set to open in its place.
Speaking to The Staff Canteen towards the end of FOUND’s operation, Neal said: “There’s not many of us in Dorset which actually do half decent food.
“Dorset’s food scene is quite slow.
“As long as you do good food, people are going to come to you, to be honest. You’ve got Catch in Weymouth for example. You just have to do good food which separates you from the rest and hopefully people will support small independents.”
Catch at the Old Fishmarket enjoyed a boost last year when it received a glowing review from renowned critic Giles Coren in The Times, who heaped praise on the food and the town of Weymouth.
Towards the end of 2024 there was a change in head chef, Mike Naidoo heading off to pastures new, to be replaced by Ben Champkin.

Ben Champkin’s Vision for Elevating Dorset’s Culinary Standards
Ben, who grew up in Dorset, won Young National Chef of the Year in 2013 and went on to compete at the World Culinary Olympics. His career has also seen him work at the likes of three Michelin-starred L’Enclume and Restaurant at Meadowood in California. He then took up head chef roles at Roganic, Teals and The Newt, before joining Catch.
When asked if he agreed with Neal that the food scene in Dorset was “slow”, Ben offered a different opinion.
“No, it’s up and coming,” he told The Staff Canteen.
“You've got Bridport, which has got some really good food places. You've got Parnham Park, which has just opened a fish restaurant inside the grounds. We’ve got a big estate opening, called Louma, in Lyme Regis.
“Then in Bridport itself, there's some beautiful little places coming up. It’s definitely getting more recognised, this corner of Dorset. A couple more of those will really help business wise.
“I spent a lot of time in Somerset, in and around The Newt, and it was saturated by great restaurants. So people were coming to that corner at Somerset.
“I want to be a leader in Dorset to do something that way. When I was looking location wise, there isn’t much in Dorset, but it is a real opportunity.
“It would be fantastic if we can encourage more people to open up down here, that would be great.”
Discussing his move to Catch, Ben said: “It’s been really good. I started at the beginning of November. We refurbed the restaurant, all the floors, some new paintings in the restaurant, refurbed all the tables.
“We've got a really nice josper oven installed as well now, so we can cook over charcoal, which is exciting.
“There's a brilliant platform to launch from, some really good foundations in the restaurant that the previous team have put in place. My aim is just to carry on celebrating and elevating the beautiful seafood that comes through the door, and being quite sustainable about our approach as well.
“We've eliminated single use plastic, that has completely gone from the restaurant now. We've got rid of blue roll. We've even gone to the point of getting rid of disposable sponges, where we're using like a metal chain scourer now. So we're not throwing things away.
“And then fish wise, we are in a harbour which only takes boats under 20 metres. So they're literally in and out in that same day. So all the fish is as fresh as it can be.”
He continued: “I grew up in Sherborne. That’s where I started my cooking career. Then I went down to work for Simon Hulstone in Torquay in Devon, before L’Enclume and Restaurant at Meadowood.
“I always said when I started my cooking career that I wanted to set my own place up in Dorset, so this (Catch) was kind of perfect.
“I was looking in and around Dorset and then this opportunity came up. I took the opportunity because it was a business that was established, in a beautiful building, with great access to seafood, They were the main drivers for me.”
A notable mention in that corner of Dorset should also go to former Great British Menu contestant Harriet Mansell at Lilac, in Lyme Regis. It was the only Dorset-based restaurant named in the SquareMeal top 100 last year.
Meanwhile, in the busy town of Bournemouth, well-known brasserie chain The Ivy opened towards the end of 2024.

Just along the seafront, chef Dominic South has been looking to help revolutionise the town’s food offering, with his work at The NICI hotel.
Challenges and Opportunities in Dorset's Restaurant Industry
Dominic has moved down to the south coast from London, where his career included spells with Tom Aikens, Mark Gregory at One Aldwych hotel, Scott Hallsworth at Nobu, Claude Bosi at Hibiscus, and Brian Hughson at The Dorchester. Time abroad followed in Antigua, Hong Kong, Paris and Dubai.
At The NICI, there are two restaurants, namely the flagship South Beach and more casual dining at Harry Rocks.
“Bournemouth is a tough market,” said Dominic.
“The idea, the feel, the vibe of the hotel is very much Miami. Given where we are, Dorset, Bournemouth has got some of the nicest beaches in the UK. Arguably the best.
“I think what was really missing here is that sense of luxury and elegance that I think you really do find when you're in Miami. That embracing of the sun, the fun culture that goes along with it, there's not really a lot of that here.
“And so I think by creating the NICI and giving it this Miami feel, this Miami vibe, you've really embraced a lot of what Bournemouth should and has to offer. I think they've made a real statement by doing it that way.”
Discussing the notion of catering to a wider audience, Dominic added: “There’s a huge community in Bournemouth that still wants to dine out in Bournemouth. Whilst we do cater obviously to a huge amount of holidaymakers, I think we offer something very unique. There’s still a lot of people in Bournemouth who want something they can go to regularly.
“Bournemouth itself in the centre is in a bit of decline, I think it would be fair to say. I think what The NICI’s done is really make a bold statement that there are things happening. We just want to build on that, show a little bit of growth and movement in Bournemouth for the positive, as opposed to place after place closing, which is what a lot of it is at the moment.
“Not to be disparaging about other hotels in Bournemouth at all, but I don’t think anyone’s doing what we’re doing. I don’t think anyone’s doing the food we’re doing.
“You do have lots of independents away from the town centre. You've got places like Ounce, Franco’s Yard, Bigwigs Bakery and The Larder House.”
“There is a lot of food culture here, a lot of coffee culture, a lot of drinking culture. It's not so much in the town centre at the moment, which is unfortunate.
"Seasonally there are peaks, obviously, when we're doing huge numbers daily. But I think if we do what we're doing right, and I think we're very much on course for that, we should be busy constantly and we are getting good numbers through the door."
Do you live in Dorset? What do you make of the food scene in the county? Which restaurants or cafés standout to you?

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.