Drake's Restaurant, in Ripley, Surrey, has announced Fred Clapperton as its new head chef following Steve Drake’s departure last month.

Fred has been with Drake’s since the end of 2012 when he joined as demi chef de partie on pastry. He swiftly made his mark, moving through all the different sections and positions, and had been sous chef since November 2013.

Fred said: “I am delighted and excited to be head chef at Drake's and I couldn't ask for a better platform to start from.

"My passion is for creativity and design alongside food. I hope the restaurant will continue to go from strength to strength and gain accolades. We have great teams front and back of house."

After spending much of his childhood in Nottinghamshire, Fred had worked at a number of different establishments prior to joining Drake's. The most recent was Bibury Court, at the time under the same ownership as Shipton Mill, giving him the opportunity to work closely with their head baker and learn about different breads, going on to help develop the hotel's bread range.

Commenting on the appointment, Serina Drake, owner of Drake's, said: "We considered a number of different potential candidates, but Fred really stood out from the crowd. Adding to this the fact that he already knows so much about the way we work and our team, it was a natural choice to give him the chance to take the reins and flourish. I am really excited and looking forward to working closely with Fred and our restaurant manager Joseph Pocceschi to take the restaurant forward."

Steve left the Michelin starred restaurant, Drake’s at the end of last month following his divorce from wife, Selina.

While Selina remains the owner of Drake’s Steve has taken over The Anchor in Ripley and has set up a holding page for his new venture due to open next year.

>>> Read more about Drake's at Ripley here

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 – 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 16 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 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, 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.