Craig Mather to head Ramsgate’s Empire Room Restaurant

The Staff Canteen
Michelin-trained chef, Craig Mather is to leave his post as chef lecturer at East Kent College in Broadstairs to take over The Empire Room restaurant in the Royal Harbour Hotel, Ramsgate. royal harbour hotelThe venture is a partnership between Craig and James Thomas, owner of the award–winning boutique Royal Harbour Hotel. Craig will assume responsibility for the club-like, 30-cover Empire Room from the beginning of July. James said: “I am delighted to be forming a partnership with Craig - his skills as a chef, his experience and local knowledge will help build the reputation of the Empire Room restaurant." Craig's menu will have a strong focus on Kentish ingredients. Dishes will include Cured and lightly picked mackerel, Ramsgate wild brill and Roast matured single rib of beef cooked on the bone, as well as his signature dish of soft boiled duck egg with crispy smoked eel soldiers. Craig said: "This partnership with James Thomas offers an exciting opportunity to bring a regularly changing menu, focusing on the best of seasonal Kentish ingredients, in a relaxed and unique restaurant environment.” Craig trained for four years at the Michelin-starred Mallory Court in Leamington Spa and spent a year at Yew Tree Inn, in Kent. Craig's signature dish of soft boiled duck egg with crispy smoked eel soldiers was named ‘Starter of the Year’ by leading food critic Jay Rayner in an end of year restaurant round up in The Observer newspaper. Former fans of Eddie Gilbert’s will be delighted to hear that the dish will be reprised when Mather returns to the kitchen at the Empire Room restaurant. the empire roomCraig graduated from East Kent College when it was Thanet College, whose alumni include TV chefs Gary Rhodes and Richard Phillips. He wants to maintain links with the college, offering work placements and plans to develop apprenticeships and also running cookery courses for the public. Speaking about his time at East Kent College, Craig said: “It’s been brilliant to see the students’ progress and to support their development to succeed in this fabulous but hard-working industry.”   .
In these challenging times…

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.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 28th April 2016

Craig Mather to head Ramsgate’s Empire Room Restaurant