MasterChef finalist selling Milton Keynes restaurants for a 'fresh start'

The chef, who appeared on the first series of the BBC show in 2008, has put Cameron’s Kitchen and his Knife & Cork burger and wine bar in Stony Stratford on the market.

Cameron told BigHospitality​ that though the businesses were still profitable he had ‘outgrown’ the 70-cover site and wanted a ‘fresh start’ after a difficult few years.

The modern European restaurant originally opened as Cameron’s Fine Dining in 2010 but was forced to close for eight months in 2014 after a toilet fan fire damaged the roof.

“The fire made me fall out of love with the restaurant a bit,” says Cameron.

“It was a pretty traumatic time, and the stress of trying to reopen and deal with an insurance claim has not been a lot of fun. It’s still a good business but I want a fresh start and something I can sink my teeth in to.”

The chef, who trained under Jason Atheron at Maze, hopes to go on to open a larger, destination restaurant – possibly with rooms - outside the Milton Keynes area in a more rural location.

“I’m looking out for sites but the main focus at the moment is to keep the current business trading,” says Cameron.  

“I’m not in any major rush to jump in to the next thing. I’ve worked for 17 years without a real break so I wouldn’t mind a bit of downtime.”

Cameron's Kitchen is being marketed by property adviser Christie & Co.