Following the news that Alan Staley, Head Chef at The Royal Hotel receiving the Island Life ‘Chef of the Year’ award last week, Simon popped along to the kitchen at the Royal to catch up with Alan.
Alan tells us about how he started out training at the Isle of Wight College and moved swiftly onto The Savoy Hotel in London, where he worked for about a year (a lifetime in kitchen terms).
Following that cheffed at various restaurants and hotels, including onboard the QE2, before heading back to the Island to settle with his family.
He talks highly of Royal Hotel owner William Bailey and how William’s plans to restore the Royal to it’s former glory, enticed Alan to join the team 11 years ago.
The menu at The Royal features Island produce including fresh fish, crab and lobster from Ventnor Haven Fishery, poultry from Brownrigg Farm and the excellent, Isle of Wight Beef.
Listen to the podcast to hear more about how Alan keeps his menu ideas fresh, his staff on their toes and how much the Island food scene has changed in the last ten years. [audio:http://otw-audio.s3.amazonaws.com/Alan-Staley-The-Royal-Hotel-Head-Chef-.mp3]
