Former John Campbell chef Peter Eaton joins Feathered Nest in the Cotswolds

Peter Eaton, former head chef at the Dorchester Collection's Coworth Park, is joining the Feathered Nest country inn in the Cotswolds as head chef.

The former Acorn award winner, who also previously worked with John Campbell at the then two-Michelin-starred Vineyard at Stockcross, will join the pub in Nether Westcote, near Stow-on-the-Wold, Oxfordshire, on 1 August. He will replace former head chef Kevin Barrett, who has left.

The move comes just two months after Eaton left Coworth Park, in Berkshire, where he was made redundant following former director of cuisine Campbell's decision to change his role to a consultancy one for the hotel's flagship Restaurant John Campbell.

At the Feathered Nest Eaton will be in charge of the food offer, which comprises an 80-seat bar and lounge area, including an outdoor terrace, as well as a 46-seat fine-dining restaurant.

"This opportunity came up and there aren't many jobs around at the moment so even though it happened really fast I decided to take it," Eaton told Caterersearch.com.

"The owners of the Feathered Nest, Tony and Amanda Timmer, have invested an awful lot in the pub - including installing a brand-new kitchen worth £600,000. They have great ambitions for the place and want [Michelin] stars."

Eaton added that the menu at the Feathered Nest would focus on local produce and that he would source some of the ingredients directly from farmers in the area.

"The menu will offer classic pub food but with a modern twist," Eaton said. "For instance, fish and chips will take the form of a grilled piece of fish with battered chips and a beignet of mushy peas - so not at all what you'd expect normally.

"We'll also have things like scallops and foie gras on the menu and in the bar we'll do bar snacks like Scotch eggs and sausage rolls."

Separately proprietors the Timmers have appointed Joss Roussanne as restaurant manager, who joins the Feathered Nest from Bovey Castle, where he was F&B operations manager. Prior to this, he was deputy restaurant manager at the Michelin-starred the Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe.

The Timmers bouth the former Westcote Inn in 2009 and relaunched it as the Feathered Nest last summer after an extensive, 14-month refurbishment. The pub and restaurant, which also has four bedrooms, underwent further renovation earlier this year and reopened in May.

Coworth Park confirms the appointment of Chris Meredith as executive chef >>

John Campbell confirms new role as consultant at Coworth Park >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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