Member of the month April 2026: Steve Angier

Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated – our latest winner is Steve Angier.

As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Steve will receive a TSC mug, an item of merchandise from our online store, and be entered into our member of the year 2026 competition.

Steve has been a member of The Staff Canteen since January 2022 and is approaching 30 years of working in hospitality, in the UK and across Europe. He is currently head chef at The Packhorse Inn, in Suffolk.

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

We caught up with Steve to find out more about his hospitality background.

“I started cooking with my grandma when I was four or five years old, doing little cakes in her kitchen garden,” he began.

“Then I moved on to my first job at 14 in a village pub. It was meant to be a placement for school, but they ended up offering me a job, because I quite enjoyed it.

“I worked a few days a week there, but it was really, really busy, 600 covers a day. That's where I really got my love for it.

“From there I went to a catering school and then was lucky enough to get work placement in Switzerland.

“I was 19 and I went to placement at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bern in Switzerland. I spent just over a year there. That was before phones, laptops, and social media. I didn't speak German, so it was quite a hard year to say at least.”

Steve would go on to spend another decade in Europe, incorporating ski seasons in France and Italy, as well as working at Hotel Eden in Les Praz, where two chefs would serve 100 guests each evening.

Returning to the UK

“At 30, I decided to move back to the UK,” Steve explained.

“My first job back was at the two rosette Brudenell Hotel on the Aldeburgh coast.

“I ran my own restaurant for a couple of years and then I found the Chestnut Group and I joined the Black Lion in Long Melford and managed to get two rosettes in the first year.

“Then the boss picked me up and he said, ‘I want you at The Packhorse’, which I’d say is their best one. I've been here now seven years.”

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Discussing the offering at The Packhorse Inn, Steve said: “When I started, they were still more traditional.

“They had three rosettes a few years ago. We didn't want that anymore. It was too much cost and doesn't really make any money, because you can't get the covers in.

“So we went more just traditional English, English/European. We have retained two rosettes to this day and we got in the Michelin Guide.

“We're trying to be a place to go, but also retain our pub elements.

“We do have a pie on the menu, but we have an ever-running specials board, which is where we have our fun.

“For example, today is our butcher's best day, where we get half a cow in, butcher it down ourselves. We do five different sides, then all the different cuts of meat, three or four different sauces, and people just come in and go wild on that.

“My boss calls it ‘new-stalgic’, so bringing a bit of nostalgia, but with a twist.

“Right now, people's ideas of cooking and food, people are afraid of spending money.

“So we have to be welcoming, we have to have great service, great food, but also attainable food. If people read something they don't understand in this day and age, that will turn them off straightaway.

“So we try to be true to our roots and be as British as possible, as local as possible, as seasonal as possible.”

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

Name a comfort food that isn’t considered ‘cheffy’ but that you love to eat

“I've got two comfort foods like that. One of them is noodles. Spicy noodles in any way, Buldak, whatever, is a terrible addiction of mine.

“And biscuits. I'm a non-stop biscuit eater. Jammie Rings from Marks and Spencer at the moment are the ones. It's terrible. My wife hates it, but I just can't do it without them.”

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

“I really like the information, the news, the knowledge. I like how it keeps us up to date. I like the sharing of information. I also think that some of the interviews you do are great.

“And the events you do are absolutely out of this world. I can't say there are many people doing stuff like that anymore. They're really engaging and you get to meet some really cool people all in the same boat.”

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a chef?

“One thing I've learned is patience. In a world where everyone's rushing around, sometimes you have to sit back, take stock and be patient.

“I've also learned not to get too high or too low about anything, whether it's a bad review or a good review. It is trying to stay grounded and settled.”

What is your proudest career achievement?

“The obvious one would be gaining and maintaining two rosettes. That's something awesome. And probably getting in the Michelin Guide and staying there as well.

“But then 10 years ago, my restaurant won the best Sunday roast in Essex.

“That was quite a cool one because that's a real barometer of where you are, your Sunday roast, especially in the pub trade.”

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

“I'm at a crossroads of where I'm going to go next. I'm 43 and I don't know if I want to be on the pans after 50.

“As my company grows, I'm hoping to go into more menu design and food design, on that side of it.

“Or start my own business of some sort, but I'm a bit worried that it's not the right time in the world to do that now.

“I've got a great job and I'm happy. In a few years, I might start a food truck or some sort of food business. I don't know about a restaurant. I don't think that's the way forward anymore.

“I'll never stop loving cooking, but 12 to 15-hour days are long and sweaty.”