Darren Brown to be head chef at the New Angel

Darren Brown, head chef at the Michelin-starred West Stoke House in Chichester, West Sussex, has joined the 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group to head up the New Angel restaurant in Dartmouth, Devon, which the company acquired last month.

Brown, who will take over the role of head chef at the New Angel in January, is the fourth Michelin-starred chef to join the group after Alan Murchison, Will Holland and Chris Horridge.

"I have been in discussions with Darren for six months now about joining the group. He is a safe pair of hands and has a proven track record and I look forward to supporting him in putting Dartmouth back on the culinary map," Murchison said.

Brown added: "This is such an exciting opportunity for me. The 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group has such high ambitions. Their business growth plans are so innovative and I believe they are swiftly becoming one of the major forces in the fine-dining sector."

Brown describes his cooking as modern British with a French accent. He will work together with Murchison to return the iconic restaurant to it former glory.

The New Angel was famously closed by former chef-patron John Burton Race's ex-wife, Kim, while he was appearing on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in November 2007. It later collapsed into administration and was bought by Clive Jacobs, who previously backed Burton Race when he was at the former two-Michelin-starred L'Ortolan in Berkshire. Earlier this year, Burton Race announced his departure from his role of executive head chef at the New Angel to focus on consultancy projects and his TV career.

Meanwhile the 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group is calling on the local community in Dartmouth to come up with a new name for the New Angel, which it acquired from Jacobs.

The 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group now owns four restaurants including the Michelin-starred L'Ortolan in Shinfield, Berkshire, and La Bécasse in Ludlow, Shropshire, as well as Paris House in Woburn, Bedfordshire.

Alan Murchison seeks new name for New Angel >>

Alan Murchison buys former John Burton Race restaurant the New Angel >>

John Burton Race to leave Michelin-starred New Angel restaurant >>

Chris Horridge joins 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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