Marco joins Posthouse hotels

Marco Pierre White is acting as a consultant chef for Posthouse, attaching his name to a new-style brasserie to be launched in September.

The Posthouse Hampstead in north London will have the first 100-seat MPW Brasserie, where the average customer is expected to spend £21 on food.

"We are always looking for new ideas and we want to create a neighbourhood restaurant experience," said Martin Kemp, director of conference, restaurants and bars for Posthouse.

The Posthouse Hampstead is undergoing a £1.3m refurbishment of the restaurant, bar, reception and public areas on the ground floor.

A second MPW Brassiere will open early next year as part of the £8m refurbishment underway at the Heathrow Crest hotel.

White is acting as a consultant overseeing menu development, while one of his protégés, Tim Paynes, will be executive head chef in Hampstead.

Paynes was previously at the Belvedere hotel in Holland Park, west London, and has worked with White for more than 13 years.

The partnership between White and Posthouse is indefinite and is an extension of White's £2m contract with Posthouse's parent company, Granada, signed in 1997.

by Sara Guild