Introducing Our Head Chef, Nick Edgar
Over the past two years, Nick has become indispensable in the Hambledon Vineyard team, introducing the Finest Cuisine to the Finest English Wines.
Who is Nick Edgar?
As the son of a baker, Nick Edgar grew up watching and admiring his father create bread and cakes; the inspiration for Nick was there from the beginning. Nick told us that “[he] always felt he was destined to join the food industry, but it wasn’t until [he] was 10 years old and watching “CHEF”, the BBC comedy with Lenny Henry, that [he] realised he wanted to be a Chef”.
Nick’s journey started at Aylesbury college, where he studied for his NVQ. After 2 years of study, he came across a job vacancy at Raymond Blanc’s world renowned 2-star Michelin Hotel Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire and decided to start his career there. About his early years, Edgar says: “As an apprentice I plied my trade under the best tutelage for 4 and1/2 years working my way through the ranks. At this point I was lucky to win the William Heptinstall Award which enabled me to work In USA at WD-50 in NYC and Alinea (top 10 best restaurants in the world).”
Upon his return to the UK, he then worked as Sous-Chef at Juniper, a Michelin star restaurant in Manchester, before moving on to Danesfield House in Marlow – again, a Michelin star house. A few years later, in 2010, he decides to return to Le Manoir and works his way to Head Chef.
From that chapter, Edgar says it was “a real-life fairy-tale story of working from the very bottom to the top in one of the best restaurants in the world.” At the time, he also competes in Nation Chef of the year on two occasions making the final both times and finishing 3rd in 2014.
In 2016 he decides to move to the Lake District to join a restaurant called “The Samling” where, after just 9 months, he is awarded his own Michelin Star as well as 3 AA rosettes and Cumbria life Chef of the year. A major achievement that led to well-deserved national recognition.
What to expect from Nick’s Cuisine?
From a modern spin on British classics: broccoli and stilton soup as you’ve never eaten it before, to themed tasting menus: we’ve seen an elegant take on Scottish cuisine, a German-inspired Oktoberfest menu and even a refinement on classic School dinners. Creativity, precision and quality define Nick Edgar’s cuisine and are the building blocks for the excellent dishes that he produces.
For those who have not been lucky enough to experience Nick Edgar’s Cuisine, it is by no means predictable, with innovative twists on classical dishes. With ever-changing, seasonal menus, Nick pushes the boundaries of the expected to produce unfailingly exceptional dishes, from three-course lunch menus to unforgettable dinners and tasting menus.
Discover the symbiosis between the finest food and the finest English sparkling wine
Something exciting is underway here at Hambledon Vineyard: we’re very pleased to announce our newly renovated Pop-up dining experience with Cellar Door Dining. Our Head Chef Nick Edgar and the whole team enrich this space with the spirit of the vineyard, once again integrating their exceptional cuisine with our award-winning sparkling wines.
