Ben Champkin joins Teals in Somerset
The former Young National Chef of the Year joins the ingredient-led, provenance focused restaurant, farm shop and food store from his most recent post as head chef at The Botanical Rooms at The Newt.
Somerset-born Champkin first made his mark when he won Young National Chef of the Year in 2013 while working for Simon Hulstone at The Elephant in Torquay. From there, he honed his skills as a sous chef at Simon Rogan's three Michelin-starred restaurant L'Enclume, before moving to the US to work at three Michelin-starred The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa, California.
Returning to the UK, he assumed the role of head chef at Michelin-starred Roganic.
“Teals is an incredible showcase of the very best of Somerset. This provenance really chimes with my style of cooking; championing what’s on our doorstep in simple dishes that let the ingredients speak for themselves," he says.
"It’s about flavour and texture in an unpretentious way and I can’t wait to build on this in Teal’s next culinary chapter.”
Dishes on Champkin's autumn menu include salt-baked pear, Colston Basset stilton, crisp walnuts and bitter leaves; rainbow chard, torn Buffalicious mozzarella and anchovy dressing; and wood-fired kuri squash, butterbeans and sage gremolata.
He will work closely with Teal’s butchery and food market to reflect the seasons.
