Nick Bennett to replace Karl Martin as head chef of Old Downtown Lodge

The Staff Canteen

Karl Martin is stepping down from his role as head chef at Old Downton Lodge; chef Nick Bennett will be taking his place.

Originally from Leamington Spa, Nick Bennett, who appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2015 and has worked at The Mallory Court under Simon Haigh and Andrew Scott. He followed Andrew to The Curlew Restaurant, where he won the  Sussex Young Chef of the Year in 2013.

Nick and Andrew's working relationship continued as they both joined Sudbury House Hotel in early 2014. Restaurant 56 was awarded 3 AA rosettes and won the Best Gastronomic Restaurant at the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards in 2015. 

Nick said he was "really excited" to be joining the team at Old Downton Lodge.

"After visiting the property and surrounding area, it was an easy decision for me to make. Karl Martin has set the standards here and I am extremely grateful for that, and hope to carry on the restaurant in the same direction as he has taken it. it is an extremely excited time for myself and my young family and I can’t wait to get started with Willem, Pippa and the team.”

When Karl Martin announced he would be leaving, he told The Staff Canteen that he was planning to stay in his role until October while they sought his replacement. 

He said he was very glad to have spent five years at the restaurant, and that "watching it grow from quite a small base to four rosettes in the space of five years has been incredible."

"I'm very proud of the whole thing, past and present - what we've achieved and how we've all got there." 

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.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 9th September 2019

Nick Bennett to replace Karl Martin as head chef of Old Downtown Lodge