Former Young National Chef of the Year winner, Ben Murphy, 25, will launch his first restaurant, The Woodford, in South Woodford, on 1 March. The twenty-five year old chef has transformed a former four-story Georgian residence into a 100 cover restaurant. The restaurant will span two floors featuring an oyster and seafood bar on the first floor along with a striking marble and granite bar. Ben and the kitchen team will combine British ingredients with classic French techniques to create a range of dishes including lamb with aubergine and toasted peanut and a olive oil cake with lemon thyme sorbet and buttermilk pudding. Long-aged meats, including 60 day aged beef, will also be used by the team. An a la carte menu will also be available including signature dishes such as Hay smoked pigeon breast, confit egg yolk and burnt brown bead consommé and Lobster, lemon, peach and fennel. British steaks, chops, Creedy Carver duck and Norfolk Black whole chicken, as well as a seven course tasting menu will also be available along with a wine list featuring craft beer and wine pairings. After three years working for Pierre Koffmann Ben moved to France to work at Michelin-starred restaurants: Michel Guerard’s Les Pres d’Eugenie and Epicure at Le Bristol, working under Eric Fréchon. He won the Young National Chef of the Year title in 2013 and was headhunted for BBC2 culinary programme, Chefs on Trial. He returned to London to work at two Michelin starred restaurant, The Greenhouse in Mayfair. The Woodford has been backed by Essex-based restaurateur, Steve Andrews, founder of Essex-based The Blue Group - a collection of hotels, restaurants and bars.
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