How Allister Barsby quietly built Kent’s only two-star restaurant

Given Allister Barsby’s background in the industry, a Michelin star was always a real possibility when he opened his first restaurant – but a second star left him “speechless”.

Allister, alongside business partner Alice Bussi, opened Hide and Fox in Saltwood, Kent, in 2019. In 2021, it was awarded a Michelin star and this year became the county’s only two-starred restaurant.

“This still feels crazy for me,” said Allister.

“It was a huge surprise, so much so I was on holiday during the award ceremony.

“I heard rumours of a new two-star in Kent, and I received a few texts on the morning of the awards, but there are rumours every year and I didn’t take it seriously.

“I was speechless when I saw Hide and Fox and my name on stage, truly incredible.”

@hideandfox get's it's second star - congrats 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/MLK5Y6VJc5

— The Staff Canteen (@CanteenTweets) February 10, 2025

He added: “Getting a second star is a pinnacle of the team's career, not just mine. Although we knew what we're capable of, we probably knew that we were going to get a first star, the second star wasn't something that we really thought that we would achieve.

“To be surprised like that, it's a big deal. It has sunk in, but we haven't really changed. We're still in a small little restaurant cooking good food and serving it with a smile and a welcoming team.

“We just carry on doing what we're doing and we obviously don't take it for granted.

“It's had a really big impact on the business. It's very positive, hence employing another chef and front of house. It's a big deal, for sure.”

Mentor Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park

Allister knew from an early age he wanted to pursue a career in hospitality. He soon found Michael Caines, who acted like a mentor, working under him at Gidleigh Park and The Bath Priory.

He then moved on to become executive chef at Grove of Narbeth in Wales, before opening up Hide and Fox.

“I grew up in Whitstable, around loads of fresh seafood,” Allister explained.

“I took a part-time kitchen porter job at Wheelers Oyster Bar, which got me into cooking really - washing pots, making desserts, crème brûlée, making hollandaise, that kind of thing.

“During my A-levels, we were asked to do three-day work experience, so I chose Read's restaurant in Faversham, which had a Michelin star at the time and after my three days’ work experience, they offered me a full-time job, as a trainee.

“So as soon as I heard that, I had the bit between my teeth, quit my A-levels and decided to go and work full-time. I was 17 and started working full-time in kitchens.

“While I was working at Read's, Michael Caines opened the restaurant in Abode in Canterbury. I met Michael, really enjoyed the meal and decided to go down to Devon and do three days’ work experience at Gidleigh Park.”

He continued: “Michael Caines is my mentor and undoubtedly my biggest influence.

"I had a total of eight years working with MC. He’s not just a chef, he's a businessman. Even 17 years ago when I first started working for him, he was already a businessman, he was a manager. He was multitasking, not just cooking.

“You learn from someone like that and you learn how to talk to people and manage and be firm, but fair and disciplined at the same time.

“He's a really good teacher of how to manage a kitchen as well and manage people. So it's a good person to learn from for sure, as a mentor.

“He's got a great palette. Working for someone like Raymond Blanc, (Joël) Robuchon, (Bernard) Loiseau, all these amazing chefs, they've all got amazing palettes. He's very good at teaching that as well and passing that knowledge on."

Reflecting on his time at Gidleigh Park as a teenager, Allister added: “I started at Gidleigh as a commis at 17, really thrown in the deep end. Cold starters or larder for the summer, which is a pretty brutal section.

“You spend about six months on each section. I think I did larder, then onto hot starters, garnish, pastry, and all of a sudden then meat and fish and sauce. I did all the sections, six months on each, so that's two-and-a-half to three years.

“By the time I was on sauce, I was senior chef de partie. And then Michael took over the restaurant at The Bath Priory with Sam Moody, and he asked me to go up there as senior sous chef, which I did for two years.

“We achieved a Michelin star. I then spent three years back to Gidleigh as head chef, which was another huge learning curve.

“Then MC wanted to open Lympstone Manor and asked me to go with him. I decided not to and moved over to the Grove of Narbeth.

“I spent nearly four years there, which was interesting. Then we just decided to move back to Kent and open a restaurant because we felt that we could do it.”

Keeping It Local: A Neighbourhood Restaurant with World-Class Standards

As soon as Allister and Alice set foot into the building which is now Hide and Fox, they knew it was the place for them.

“This was always a neighbourhood restaurant,” Allister explained.

“It had been an Italian, it had been a fine dining restaurant in the Michelin Guide, it had been an Indian and before we had it, it was a café.

“So we knew we wanted to be part of the community because if you want to be lasting, I think you need to play to your environment and where you are.

“We're not in a city, we're not relying on footfall. You need to be part of the community. And this is quite a tight-knit community.

“We knew we wanted to be approachable. We always wanted to be semi-fine dining, not too stiff, no tablecloths or anything like that.

“But we are who we are. We trained in some of the best hotels in the country, so we can't get away from that.”

The Making of Hide and Fox: A Dream Realised in Saltwood

Hide and Fox operates with a small team of just three chefs and four front-of-house.

“After leaving Gidleigh, I did a lot of research, book reading and YouTube watching, learning new techniques and ingredients to create my own style,” said Allister.

“The Hide and Fox is a simple restaurant and we always wanted to do things simply and not overcomplicate it. That's down to the food, that's down to the service, the wine list. It's a restaurant that's cosy and we just serve good food.

"We're modern British, because that's what we cook. We have influences from Asia, but ultimately we're just a neighbourhood restaurant, cosy little environment, cooking good food.

“It just feels natural and I think that's what has made the restaurant successful.”

He added: “It's just us and the bank. We haven't got any backers or people giving us money. So we make little improvements. That's with the food, the decor, and the restaurant and we don't actually stand still ever.”