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