Superstar West Country chef Michael Caines will finally make his London debut this year following the announcement of his appointment as ‘culinary strategist’ at the Stafford hotel in St James’s. Under the new arrangement, his Lympstone Manor in Devon becomes an ‘associate member’ of the Stafford Collection.
Michael has been a dominant figure on the national gastronomic scene since making his name at Gidleigh Park on Dartmoor, where he ran the kitchen for 22 years before launching his own Lympstone Manor near Exmouth eight years ago.
He said: “I’m particularly excited about the new direction for the restaurant at the Stafford, which will embrace a refreshed concept inspired by London’s dynamic culinary scene.”
No details have been announced for the new restaurant that is expected to take the place of the Game Bird at the Stafford in the autumn – although a spokesman for the hotel said it would follow “more refined approach”. Lympstone Manor consistently scores 5/5 in the annual Harden’s Guide, which this year hailed Michael’s cooking as “a masterclass in how to use top ingredients”.
Michael succeeds Lisa Goodwin-Allen of Northcote in Lancashire at the helm of the Stafford’s culinary offering. Her tenure ended when the Stafford Collection sold Northcote in the spring.