Mehdi Amiri appointed head chef at Eckington Manor
Mehdi Amiri has been appointed as head chef at Eckington Manor, Worcestershire, replacing joint head chefs and culinary couple Sue and Mark Stinchcombe.
An alumni of the Fat Duck and Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Amiri brings almost 18-years of experience to the role. He joins from Swinton Park Hotel where he served as executive head chef for two years, recieving three AA rosettes for the site's public facing Samuel's restaurant.
He will now take on culinary operations at Judy Gardiner's 38-cover Michelin Plate-winning restaurant and 17-bed hotel, which also features a cookery school with five guest bedrooms.
He said: "I'm really looking forward to starting at Eckington Manor. My most recent role has allowed me to experiment creatively and work alongside a great team, creating a delectable dining experience for guests.
"I am keen to spend the next few months settling into Eckington Manor and evolving the menu to reflect and showcase the produce grown and reared on the estate, making it a must visit destination for diners."
Judy Gardner, owner of Eckington Manor, added: "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Mehdi to the Eckington family. He is extremely talented and has such an eye for detail, we love what he creates! We can't wait for this to be part of the offering at Eckington Manor."
It follows the departure of Sue and Mark Stinchcombe, the co-head chef couple behind the kitchen's farm to fork, hyper-local approach and classically based style of cuisine.
Both award-winning chefs - Sue is an Acorn award winner while Mark, beat out the competition in MasterChef: The Professionals 2015 shortly after joining the Eckington team. The pair have joined the Severn & Wye Smokery in Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire.