Alex Payne to lead Great Fosters’ flagship restaurant
From nearby Egham, Payne joins from The Thames Table at Crockers in Henley-on-Thames, where he was head chef. His CV includes time with Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay.
Payne’s tasting menu will be inspired by classic flavours and seasonal ingredients ‘harmonised by modern techniques’.
“My style of food is designed around classical dishes and flavours but I endeavour to find interesting ways to refine and modernise them to create memories for our diners. By using only the best possible seasonal and local ingredients to produce bold flavours I will be creating an experience for our The Tudor Pass guests that they will warmly remember for years to come,” he says.
The Tudor Pass will launch on 1 October offering lunch and dinner Wednesday to Saturday.
The space - which features dark wood panelling and elaborate tapestries - had been overseen by Tony Parkin since 2019 but the chef left earlier this year.
Parkin attracted a Michelin star just four months after taking on the seven table restaurant. Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room was also ranked 27th in Restaurant by BigHospitality’s most recent list of the top 100 restaurants in the UK.
Parkin’s modern cooking - which is influenced by his overseas travels - was believed by many to be somewhat out of step with the old-fashioned feel of the The Tudor Room.
