Oscar Holgado, Head Chef, Coombeshead Farm

The Staff Canteen

Oscar Holgado is the Head Chef of Michelin Green Starred Coombeshead Farm

Throughout his career, Chef Holgado has been dedicated to redefining the relationship between food and the environment.

His culinary journey led him to Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall, where he has played a pivotal role in transforming it into a sustainable agricultural paradise.

Under his stewardship, Coombeshead Farm has become a model of regenerative farming, known for its closed-loop systems, holistic practices, and commitment to biodiversity.

Coombeshead Farm has 66 acres on site, with a dedicated commitment to leaving the land in its best possible state for future generations. Their long-term vision includes reforestation, restoration, and overall land rejuvenation, making it an exciting yet challenging journey.

 This small and diverse farm features a blend of mixed perennial pastures, meadows, and woodlands. The land now hosts a rich diversity of species, reflecting their dedication to biodiversity.

To effectively manage this ecosystem, they have implemented a farmshare program, akin to a cooperative model.

This collaborative approach brings like-minded farmers together to collectively manage inputs and outputs.

The farmshare not only eases the workload but also fosters knowledge sharing, grants access to markets, and spreads liability and risk among participants. This collaborative effort results in a superior product, an enriching journey, and better pricing for consumers.


Oscar has said, "We grow and rear produce on our 66 acre farm following regenerative agriculture methods, including successional cover crop sewing. We also have a no-dig vegetable garden, use compost from our food waste, and make guest soap out of lard from our pigs."

Oscar Holgado & the Coombeshead Farm team's unwavering commitment to exceptional product quality and meticulous control over its journey to kitchens and shops has always been a top priority.

However, they have evolved their approach in response to the land's needs. In their early years, they focused intensely on producing top-tier pigs, but they recognized the necessity for change.

As they listened more attentively to the land's requirements, they shifted their focus from a single-minded pursuit of porcine excellence to a more holistic approach to farming.

This ongoing openess to change and growing strength in sunstainability has been rewarded with a Michelin Green Star

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 and restrict access – 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 12 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 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, 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 22nd September 2023

Oscar Holgado, Head Chef, Coombeshead Farm