Simon Bonwick has appointed his son Charlie Bonwick as The Dew Drop Inn's chef de cuisine

Simon Bonwick has appointed his son Charlie Bonwick as Chef de Cuisine at the family’s Berkshire pub, The Dew Drop Inni n Hurley.

Simon Bonwick will continue working as Chef Patron at The Dew Drop Inn and will be working with his son to ‘evolve’ their classical cuisine.

Charlie has already undertaken a number of stages at Michelin-starred restaurants and has experience working as a private chef.

Commenting on his appointment, Charlie said: "It’s a heavy responsibility taking over the day to day running of the kitchen here, what with my father’s reputation and all. He’s always been a nightmare to work for over the years, but man do you learn from him,"

Charlie added: "His culinary philosophy and skill is very deep I am confident with my taste, my hand, and the gesture and movement within my cooking that all will be safe and well."

Simon's family have run a string of highly-rated pubs and restaurants in Berkshire over the last twenty years, including the Michelin-starred The Crown at Burchetts Green, which gained one Michelin star in 2017.

The Bonwicks launched The Dew Drop Inn earlier this year​​ after selling The Crown to The Beehive's Dominic Chapman in 2022.​​

Simon has worked alongside Charlie at both The Crown at Burchetts Green and during his brief tenure at the The Princess of Shoreditch in London.

Commenting on Charlie's appointment, Simon said: "Charlie is a confident, quiet chef. He has a lot that he wishes to do with our beautiful cuisine. I trust him completely. I will spend time cleaning the pub more and practicing our craft."

Simon Bonwick's Career

An eccentric individual known for working alone, Simon Bonswick has worked extensively across hospitality, with more than forty years experience under his belt.

Simon started cooking at the age of 14, where he worked under David Rollow at The Bridge Hotel in Sutton Bridge, with Simon deciding that cooking was a much better use of his time than school. 

In 1987, Simon started working at The Connaught in London before working extensively across a variety of fine dining establishments, later venturing into the world of pubs in 1999. 

Since 1999, Simon has held a number of positions at The Black Boys Inn and The Three Tunns, before taking on The Crown at Burchetts Green in 2013 with his wife and nine children. 

The Crown went on to win a Michelin Star in 2017, as well as number 10 on Top 50 Gastropubs 2017 list.

In December 2021 after nine years of service, The Bonwicks announced they would close The Crown which was eventually bought by The Beehive's Dominic Chapman in 2022.

In August 2022, Simon joined The Princess of Shoreditch as the pub's head chef replacing Ruth Hansom before departing from the pub in January 2023. 

Following his departure from The Princess of Shoreditch, Simon confirmed that he would be taking over The Dew Drop Inn in Hurley, Berkshire.