As Bedfordshire’s only Michelin-starred restaurant and set in 22 acres of stunning deer park on the historic Woburn Estate, the restaurant has won numerous awards and is a ‘must-do’ for food-lovers.

Phil went head to head in a final cook-off competition with Tom van Zeller, Enzo Mauro and Christopher Cleghorn filmed at Dawnvale’s recently launched North West Design Centre’s theatre kitchen.

Elizabeth Carter, Editor of the Good Food Guide and Food Writer and Restaurant Critic Matthew Norman from the Daily Telegraph were joined by Hi-Life member and Sponsor Denise Jones of Dawnvale.

This year’s Hi-Life Awards (www.hi-life.co.uk) or HILDAs as they are fondly known in the industry took place on Friday 3rd February, 2012 at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.

The Hi-Life Dining Awards are considered the leading food and drink awards in the industry, with nominees and winners voted for by the dining public.

Presented by TV presenter and journalist Paul Ross, guests enjoyed a champagne reception followed by a four-course dinner and a glittering line-up of first-class entertainment including American singing sensation Gwen Dickey of Rose Royce fame.

Stars from stage, screen and sport presented thirteen awards to some of the best restaurants and chefs in the UK and Ireland.

Said Lisa Lund, Hi-Life’s Commercial Director:

“Tonight was a fantastic showcase of the very best in dining excellence and congratulations to all our winners and short-listed entries.  The calibre of participants this year has been exceptionally high.  With more sponsors and partners than ever before this has been our most successful event to date and I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful support and enthusiasm, including, in particular, our loyal Hi-Life Dining Club members and restaurants.”

This year’s nominated charity was the Five Stars Appeal.  A live auction and raffle raised over £10,000 pounds for the charity.

Chef Stephen Bulmer commented: ‘I appreciate it seems a bit strange to change the name again, but my wife Jo and I felt that a straightforward, English name was more appropriate to my style of cooking and atmosphere we want to create in the restaurant. However, we respect and recognise the long culinary heritage of the restaurant, thus we felt ‘The Angel, Dartmouth’, fits the bill.’

Just as the menu features local and seasonal produce, so the restaurant interior now reflects it’s beautiful waterside location, with the colours of the sea and the work of local artists helping to create an informal, relaxed environment. Steve’s new menu launched this week and has been very well received by customers.

A selection from the A la Carte menu might include:

Duck Confit with Celeriac, Caramelised Apple and Sherry Vinegar £7.50

Braised Fillet of Brill with Lemon Sabayon, Wild Mushrooms and Watercress Purée £17.50

Vanilla Pannacotta with Spiced Pear Compote and Madeleine £6.50

There is also a daily-changing, set price menu available from Wednesday to Friday offering two courses for £18.50 and three courses for £22.50 and a Sunday lunch menu at £15.95/£19.95.

Steve also has plans to get out from behind the stove. An enthusiastic and gregarious Yorkshireman, he will be holding regular demonstrations and cookery classes at The Angel, including a daily demonstration of the ‘Dish of the Day’ at 12 noon and 6.30pm from mid February.

The partnership has arisen as a result of the longstanding friendship between Alan and Gerard. To launch the 2012 partnership, Murchison and Basset will be creating three days of unique food and wine events, from the 29th February to 2nd March 2012, at Basset’s award-winning boutique hotel, Hotel TerraVina in The New Forest. The exclusive menu will be created and cooked at each event by Michelin-starred chef Alan Murchison and his team and the wine selected and paired to Alan’s menu by Basset. Hotel TerraVina’s award-winning head sommelier, Laura Rhys, (Master Sommelier and UK Sommelier of the Year, 2009) will be hosting and introducing the wines at each service. It is hoped that these events will be the first in a series in the new partnership.

Says Murchison: ‘We are thrilled to be working with not only a great friend but one of the most skilled and respected figures in the hospitality industry, who shares our values in service, quality and excellence. We are so pleased to be able to offer our guests a incomparable food and wine experience in such a perfect setting as Hotel TerraVina.

Basset commented: ‘I am delighted to work with Alan, whom I have known for over 10 years and to introduce our guests to his truly remarkable food. I’m also very excited at the prospect of further educating not only our guests but the “Foodies” who regularly visit the 10 in 8 Group’s restaurants. This is the beginning of a very exciting partnership.”

To view the menu for these exclusive wine events, please click http://www.10in8.com/about-us/alan-murchison-gerard-basset-menu/.

Stephen will teach regularly at the cookery school but has also been appointed as Head Chef at 10in8’s Restaurant Angélique in Dartmouth. Joanna will become 10 in 8’s Head of Marketing.

Joanna Bulmer commented: ‘We are delighted to be joining the 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group. We share in its values and ambitions and look forward to playing a significant part in their development and growth.”

Richard Pursey, Chairman of the 10 in 8 Group commented: ‘We are delighted to have reached an agreement to bring Jo and Steve into our Group. Developing talent is crucial for our long-term sustainability and is core to the Fine Dining Academy’s rising star apprenticeship programme. Steve and Joanna bring to 10 in 8 specialist skills that complement our existing talents. Our Fine Dining Academy has probably the strongest teaching line up of any restaurant-based cookery school in the UK and as such, provides a unique offering to customers and apprentices alike. Stephen will expand this offering further while Joanna will help us to build and maximise the potential of our customer base across the Group.

Stephen Bulmer is widely acknowledged to be one the UK’s leading cookery school teachers. His combination of top-level expertise with a relaxed, light-hearted teaching style has built a significant customer following. Before opening Brook Hall he ran the Raymond Blanc Cookery School at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons following in the footsteps of 10in8’s Executive Chef, Alan Murchison.

Joanna Bulmer has a blue-chip advertising and direct marketing background as well as top-level hospitality management experience, also gained at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

“Our fish course comprised a pan fried fillet of Loch Duart salmon, curried lentils, cauliflower, apple and citrus jelly. It was exceptional, my favourite course of the day. The salmon had been so adroitly cooked that each flake fell away beneath the knife. It was translucent, delicately pink and the crispy skin was exquisite.”

To read the full review in the Shropshire Star, please click here.

The list, compiled by The Sunday Times in partnership with Hardens restaurant guide is based on food quality alone and created from reports by over 8000 paying customers

La Bécasse in Ludlow received the highest ranking of the 10 in 8 restaurants placed 24th.  Sister restaurants L’ortolan in Reading and Paris House in Woburn were placed 57th and 54th respectively.

Alan Murchison, Executive Chef of the Group said “I am so pleased for the teams that their hard work is being rewarded.  This is a great achievement and extremely important list to be included in because it is voted for by the general public.”

The awards are compiled by votes of The National Restaurant Awards Academy, whose panel is made up of chefs, restaurateurs and food critics who base their decision on visits within the past 12 months.

The team at La Becasse is extremely excited and pleased with their position, which is an improvement by ten places on last year when they were ranked 44th and a substantial jump from the year before when the restaurant was awarded 87th place

“Ever since head chef Will Holland devised his tasting plate of piglet, it has been flying out of the kitchen at La Bécasse…There’s a subtle differentness, done for the enhancement of the dish, not for pretty-boy frivolity.”

To read the full review, please click here.

The Independent.

21st July 2011

“When he first presented his gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free puds on the television programme Great British Menu three years ago, when he was head chef at the Michelin-starred Bath Priory Hotel, he wowed the judges but alienated a large swathe of the pudding-eating British public. “It is definitely possible to make healthy desserts that taste just as good,” he says. “You can use gluten-free flour in most cases as you would normal flour, for example. We did an Opera Cake, which is a classic French sugar-rich dessert, with no dairy, no sugar, and made from gluten-free flour. We gave it to the pastry chef without telling him and he couldn’t even taste any difference.”

To read the full article in The Independent newspaper please click here.

The Acorns identify the brightest talents in the hospitality industry, and acknowledge flair and reward good work. Each year, thirty people under 30 are nominated by their peers and colleagues for having made an impression in their field, and have done for the past 25 years.

“Receiving an Acorn award and knowing that all the hard work has some tangibility is extremely satisfying,” says Phil, “My success is testament to the level of tuition and guidance I have received over the years from Alan Murchison and his team.”

Phil was presented with the award for his achievements in the last year at the Acorn weekend which was held at Coworth Park in Berkshire, where he was joined by Murchison, Executive Chef of The 10 in 8 Group. Murchison said “Phil receiving this highly prestigious award is a fitting reward for all his hard work, dedication and commitment. An Acorn award is a true reflection of real talent in the hospitality industry, knowing also that the best is yet to come.”

Previous winners include Marco-Pierre White, Marcus Wareing and Michael Caines, all of whom have gone on to become major figures within the industry.