Dave Watts leaves the Kings Head in Cirencester
Dave Watts, executive chef at Vineyard Group's the Kings Head in Cirencester, has quit five months after taking on the role at the 45-bedroom hotel.
Watts is the second executive chef to leave in the 12 months since the property opened. He joined in April, replacing Wayne Sullivan who had been appointed at the hotel's launch in September 2014. Sullivan moved into the head chef position at the Montpellier Chapter in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Watts' remit was to oversee the culinary direction of the Kings Head, working alongside the Vineyard Group's executive chef Daniel Galmiche. He trained with Raymond Blanc at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons for eight years. Subsequent roles include head chef at the Cotswold House hotel in Chipping Campden, where he was named as a "chef to watch" by the Good Food Guide.
Commenting on the reasons for his departure, Watts said: "I have left to branch out on my own. I was only really there as a stop-gap while Wayne moved on. There are a few things I am working on right now around the Cirencester and Cotswolds area."
The Kings Head has also seen a recent change of general manager. In July, Sally Russell took over from previous general manager Stephen Mannock, who moved to Brunei as operations director at The Empire Hotel and Country Club. Russell previously worked as general manager at the Vineyard Group's Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa
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