IN an effort to improve its food menu a Fairford hotel has employed a new chef who boasts a wealth of experience.

Jamie Woods has come back to his home town to work at The Bull Hotel in Fairford after stints in kitchens at The Swan at Bibury and The Four Pillars Hotel situated at the Cerney lakes.

The hotel has undergone various changes since being taken over last year by current managers Ian and Liz Summers and they believe getting the chef they want is important.

Ian said: “We want to get the menu up to the level it should be and his idea of having four to five kitchen classics, such as shepherd’s pie, beer battered fish and chips and of course a good pie on there as well as seasonal dishes like spiced pork belly, and Carpaccio of Fairford beef is fantastic and shows that we are moving in the right direction.

“Jamie’s home cured corned beef hash served with a fried duck egg and homemade brown sauce will go down a storm with regulars and hotel visitors showing what a diverse customer base we have here,” Ian said.

Jamie, 24, has been a keen cook since the age of 15 when he would sit and watch the TV programmes of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey and ‘Enfant Terrible’ - Marco Pierre White. It is people like this that inspired him to get into the kitchen as well as his cooking style and philosophy. “It may sound cliché but having things fresh and in season is very important to me,” Jamie explained.

“The Bull Hotel has so many great food sources around it, would be a shame not to use them.

“We have Fairford beef on our doorstep from Andrew Butler Butchers, lamb from nearby Coln St Aldwyns, trout from Bibury and eggs from a great farm in Welford, what more could a chef want?”

To book a table at The Bull Hotel call 01285 712535 or email info@thebullhotelfairford.co.uk