Andrew Swann returns to The Castle at Taunton as executive chef

Swann will be responsible for the food and beverage offer across the well-known Somerset hotel, including its 70-cover Brazz restaurant. 

He initially joined the business in 2000 as a 17-year-old commis chef, and has since worked in some of the UK’s top hotels and restaurants, including Zafferano, L’Escargot, Rök Smokehouse and The Savoy. 

Most recently, Swann was head chef at Luciano’s by Luciano Pierre White in Dorchester.  

Owned by three generations of the Chapman family for 72 years, The Castle at Taunton's kitchen has been overseen by a number of high profile chefs including Chris Oakes (who won the hotel its first Michelin star in 1984), Gary Rhodes and Phil Vickery. 

Swann’s appointment follows a £150,000 kitchen refurbishment, which has enabled the restaurant to offer a ‘wider, more sustainable, and energy efficient offer for guests’.   

“It feels so great to be back home. I fell in love with cooking when I first started my career here, and to be able to come back so many years later to continue that journey is really special for me," Swann says.

“Given the hotel’s history, I know I have some big shoes to fill but that’s what gets me up in the mornings. I’m especially excited to be able to work with an incredible core team here and to have access to some of the country’s greatest produce."

Ronan Hunter, The Castle at Taunton general manager and director, says that Swann "shares the same core values that is in the DNA of the hotel". 

“We are delighted that Andrew has come home," he continues. "Having been with Andrew when he was first at the hotel at the age of 17, it’s incredible to see how his career has developed over the years, and I’m delighted he is back to share some of his brilliantly British menus and dishes with our guests.

"We have some very exciting plans in place for the hotel and we are thrilled to have somebody leading the kitchen who is grounded in our heritage and history.”