Hotel Cateys 2025: ​Hotel Chef of the Year (fewer than 250 covers) – Douglas Balish, Grove of Narberth

Douglas Balish is executive chef at the five-AA-red-star Grove of Narberth and culinary director across the Seren Collection and the Penmaenuchaf hotel in Dolgellau, Snowdonia.

 

At the Grove of Narberth he leads a kitchen brigade of 20, delivering memorable experiences for guests while driving financial performance, sustainability and innovation at the Fernery, a 28-cover fine-dining restaurant with four AA rosettes, and the Artisan Rooms, a more relaxed 60-cover brasserie.

 

The restaurants serve between 700 and 1,400 covers weekly and offer breakfast, seasonal à la carte, tasting menus, afternoon tea, a lounge bar menu, room service and banqueting.

 

His dishes showcase complexity from humble origins, with dishes including buckwheat tart with garden pesto, goat’s curd, ponzu and tomatoes; and egg yolk with smoked eel, dashi potato, Hafod cheese and truffle foam. Preserving is a creative cornerstone of the menu and he ferments, pickles and dehydrates surplus to avoid waste. A Grove tea selection made from excess herbs also complements the menu year-round.

 

At the hotel Balish has also pioneered innovative uses for wasabi grown a few miles away in Templeton. After some experimentation, he developed a method to preserve its volatile freshness by grating it into a frozen base for ice-cream, then Pacojetting it to disperse the flavour.

 

Balish works with the head gardener to ensure more than 80% of the produce for the hotel comes from its two-acre kitchen garden, hedgerows and local suppliers. Emphasising this focus, the tasting menus are designed around a Pembrokeshire map, with dishes inspired by the story of the kitchen gardens and local producers.

 

Beverage margins have improved thanks to the chef’s focus on eliminating waste, such as devising non-alcoholic drinks made using otherwise discarded vegetable trimmings and juices and syrups made from leftover fruit trimmings. Balish has also eliminated single-use plastic across food operations.

 

This commercial, sustainability-led management instinct ensures financial health and purpose go hand-in-hand at the hotel. Balish has exceeded F&B margin targets through tight cost control, relationships with direct suppliers and a deep integration with the hotel’s kitchen gardens, which brings cost benefits alongside a hyper-seasonal focus to dishes.

 

As a leader, the chef has a great focus on growth and progression. His kitchen boasts a 92% retention rate, while those who do leave are supported to reach their potential. Several of his former chefs now lead their own successful ventures, including Gerwyn Jones (Lan y Môr, Saundersfoot), Chris Walker (Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan), and Karl Abraham (Rock ’n’ Dough Bakehouse, Narberth).

 

Meanwhile, Balish works in partnership with Pembrokeshire College through the Seren Academy to offer structured apprenticeships. His commitment to mentoring extended to leading a student-delivered gala dinner for 250 at the 2024 Visit Pembrokeshire Croeso Awards, in preparation for which he mentored three student chefs for nine months and oversaw a 50-person student team on the night.

 

Balish’s impact stretches far beyond the kitchen, from business strategy to community engagement and mentorship. His creativity has helped maintain the Grove of Narberth’s status as one of the UK’s finest independent hotels and has been rightly recognised by the Hotel Catey judges.

 

What the judges said

“This is a real chef working extremely hard in all areas of the business. Clearly a true leader and professional.”

Adam Smith

 

“Douglas was unanimously selected by the judges, and has shown consistency in his art. The beautiful property deserves a chef like this to drive its F&B operations.”

Hrishikesh Desai

 

“Douglas has been busy minimising waste, overseeing a high retention rate and being creative with his gardener and food and drink menu, all while retaining his fantastic accolades. A worthy winner.”

Dominic Teague

 

The shortlist

• Douglas Balish, Grove of Narberth, Pembrokeshire
• Andrew Green, the Municipal Hotel & Spa Liverpool – MGallery Collection
• Christopher Niven, the Fife Arms, Braemar, Aberdeenshire
• Graham Squire, the Goring, London
• Phil Yeomans, Lainston House, Winchester, Hampshire

The judges

• Hrishikesh Desai, Farlam Hall 
• Sarah Frankland, Pennyhill Park
• Lewis Hamblet, South Lodge
• Chris King, Langham Hotel Group
• Adam Smith, Coworth Park
• Dominic Teague, One Aldwych