'We opened a restaurant in Shropshire to make the most of the county's seasonal produce and have been recognised by the Michelin Guide'
When Stuart and Frances Collins opened their restaurant in the market town of Whitchurch, their dream was to not only serve great food and celebrate seasonal produce but to also create a memorable experience for every guest who walks through the doors.
The restaurant, which offers a tasting menu, welcomed its first diners in 2017 and has been recognised by the Michelin Guide and also highlighted by the Good Food Guide.
Stuart, aged 42, trained with Gary Rhodes at Rhodes in the City, Michael Caines MBE at Gidleigh Park and Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road and Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC.
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He took his first Executive Chef role back with Michael Caines at the opening of the Abode Hotel in Chester and, in 2021, won the central region of the BBC Great British Menu and represented Shropshire in the final.
With a passion for food, wine and service, Frances has experience in restaurant management and sales and marketing.
She has been involved in the opening of many restaurants with great names such as Chef Michael Caines, Chef Guy Savoy, and at the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha. The couple had spent five years in the Middle East before moving back to the UK to open their own restaurant.
“We spent five years in Qatar. Although it was a phenomenal project that we were working on, everything was imported, nothing was grown in the country at the time so from a cooking perspective, it was great, it was glamorous, but it didn’t really tick the box in terms of using local seasonal produce,” explains Stuart.
“When we came back to the UK, we really wanted to be in the country close to as many producers and as close to the land as we could get. That was a big deciding factor in locating in Whitchurch.
