Chef Matthew Tomkinson announced on Twitter this week that he would be leaving The Montagu Arms after a decade at the helm of the New Forest based hotel.
Matt, who became a Roux Scholar in 2005, wrote: "After an amazing 10 years at The Montagu I will be moving on to something new next year. Any success we have had comes down to the amazing people above and around me both past and present. Special mentions to @jameshileyj@sunilkanjanghat@robertojboer for your support and help over the years."
Matthew Whitfield who will replace
Matthew Tomkinson as head chef
at The Montagu Arms
He added: "I am pleased to say I will be able to handover to a brilliant replacement in the form of @mattwchef (Matthew Whitfield) a great chef and friend who I know will fly in this role. I’m looking forward to be able to announce some exciting news about my future very soon."
Matthew told The Staff Canteen that he will be announcing his future plans in two weeks time.
He gained a star in 2009 at the New Forest based restaurant as well as a number of other accolades but after a refurbishment they dropped out of the Michelin Guide in the 2017 edition.
He started his culinary career with a holiday job in a supermarket canteen while completing a degree in hospitality management. In 2005 and, while working as junior sous at the Michelin-starred Ockenden Manor in rural West Sussex, Matthew won the Roux Scholarship. As part of his prize, he was given the chance to work at Michel Guérard’s three-star Les Prés d’Eugénie in the south-west of France – an opportunity that gave him the experience he needed to move to a head chef’s position at The Goose in Britwell Salome, near Oxford. It was here that he won his first Michelin star in 2008.
Taking over from Matthew, will be Matthew Whitfield, he made the final of the Roux Scholarship in 2017 and previously worked at The Montagu Arms. He recently left Eleven Maddison Park to head back to the UK and he tweeted: "Very happy to announce that I will be joining @themontaguarms as Head Chef in the new year. I will be taking over from a great chef and friend @MTomkinsonChef who I had the pleasure of working for years ago. Very much looking forward to the next chapter."
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