MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 contestant Tom Lowe has been named head chef at The Plough in Ivy Hatch.
Aged just 22, Tom was singled out by the judges on MasterChef: The Professionals for the particular care and attention he gave to humble ingredients - for which he earned himself the nickname of 'cabbage connoisseur.'
The former public house, located in a the village of Sevenoaks in Kent, has undergone renovation work and will be relaunched in March as a new site.
The Plough owners, to whom the White Hart in Preston Bisset also belongs, want the restaurant to be of a high calibre
"They want it to be their main restaurant and to push for accolades," Tom explained.
The restaurant will launch on March 1st with a soft launch tasting menu, and once open, will offer an a la carte and a tasting menu. Food will be seasonally and ingredient-led, using vegetables grown on site.
Tom said he hopes his appearance on MasterChef: The Professionals will help draw public attention to the launch, and that the freedom offered to him by the restaurant owners will allow him to flourish.
"From a menu perspective, they just gave me the whole reigns of it. They don't want to want to step in - everything I think is right, it's all on me. But if everything goes well, this is going to be pretty cool," he said.
