Rob took up his new position as of February 2016, following a six week refurbishment of the kitchen. After his appointment, Rob was able to retain the restaurant’s one Michelin star despite Richard Davies' departure.
Rob Potter’s first job in the kitchen was as a commis chef at The Bay Tree in Birmingham. Under the guidance of head chef Andy Waters, Rob learned the basic skills that would later propel the young chef to Michelin star status. Rob still credits Andy as one of the few chefs that still influence him today.
Rob Potter
After The Bay Tree, Rob further developed his skills with Dominic Chapman who at the time was the head chef at The Royal Oak Paley Street. It was here Rob realised his full potential and began to develop his own unique style of cooking, favouring locally sourced produce with a more technical approach to presentation.
Rob first joined Lucknam Park in 2008 as junior sous chef before returning after The Royal Oak as Hywel Jones' head chef at the one Michelin starred restaurant. On Hywel he told The Staff Canteen: "At the start it was learning his style of food, how he wanted to cook and what he was looking for. As time has progressed, it’s been management. He’s been a very good mentor to me on a personal level and from a work point of view."
He then moved on to head up the kitchen at The Manor House, set in an Exclusive Hotel & Golf Club in Castle Combe, near Bath replacing Richard Davies as executive chef.
What the guides say
Michelin Guide UK
AA Restaurant Guide
Harden’s
He said at the time: ‘’I’m delighted to be joining The Manor House and to be a part of Exclusive Hotels and Venues, a group I have long admired for its culinary excellence and ethos of great food being central to the overall guest experience.
"The Bybrook restaurant at Manor House has a fantastic culinary reputation, with its rearing of pigs, chickens, quails and ducks onsite as well as access to a well-stocked kitchen garden, so to be given the opportunity to make my mark on the dining experience at this iconic country house hotel is something I’m really proud of and excited by.”
Rob took up his new position as of February 2016, following a six week refurbishment of the kitchen. After his appointment Rob was able to retain the restaurant’s one Michelin star despite Richard Davies' departure.
The Bybrook restaurant at The Manor House
The Bybrook restaurant in Wiltshire is named after the river the flows through the grounds of the hotel. Taking its influence from its picturesque surroundings, Rob and the team use only the freshest seasonal ingredients which are largely taken from the kitchen garden. To capture the full flavour of each season’s individuality, Rob combines innovative cooking methods with traditional techniques to present an eclectic and varied menu.
Speaking about his food style on the hotel's website, Rob said his approach at the Bybrook is to offer “a dedicated focus to serving seasonal and classical food combinations” and his aim “is to create a relaxed fine-dining menu influenced by the seasons as well as being dictated by the beautiful British produce harvested from within the grounds of The Manor House.’’
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