Head Chef Martin Burge from Whatley Manor retains second Michelin Star for a fifth year

Michelin announced their awards for 2013 with the news that Martin Burge, Head Chef at Whatley Manor has retained
his Michelin two stars for a fifth year.

Burge joined Whatley Manor when the 23 bedroom Wiltshire hotel first opened in July 2003. There he set up the hotel’s fine dining restaurant ‘The Dining Room’ and the informal brasserie, ‘Le Mazot’,and went on to achieve his first star in January 2005, followed by a second in 2009. 

The award recognises his acclaimed cuisine in the hotel’s fine dining restaurant ‘The Dining Room’, where guests are treated to a gourmet experience of classical French cuisine with a modern interpretation.

Michelin Editor, Rebecca Burr, ensures that the 2013 Guide continues to be a benchmark for the finest cuisine in the UK, with 484 eating establishments included, of which only 20 establishments in the UK have two stars. The award of two stars
denotes a restaurant that represents ‘excellent cooking, worth a detour’ and the guide describes ‘The Dining Room’ as a ‘Smart, sophisticated, three-roomed restaurant in an elegant hotel, overlooking the kitchen garden’ and ‘Original, modern dishes show an excellent appreciation of ingredients and understanding of combinations; cooking is technically skilled and flavours are stunning. Extensive wine list and attentive team’.

Commenting on the news, Burge said “I am delighted that we've retained our second star for 2013. For me and my team it’s about a steady progression in creating modern dishes whilst keeping their classic roots. It’s very important to me that we give our guests the depth of flavours in each dish”

The Dining Room has 40 covers and is open for dinner, Wednesday – Sundays whilst the hotel’s brasserie style restaurant, Le Mazot, has 70 covers and is open daily for lunch and dinner. 
 
In the Dining Room he serves an á la carte and a tasting menu showcasing dishes such as ‘Pig’s cheek braised in Thai spices served with caramelised langoustine tails and shellfish purée followed by a ‘Venison loin Roasted, served with its own sausage, 100% grated bitter chocolate and reduced Shiraz wine’, with a choice of desserts to include ‘Fig and pistachio soufflé served with textures of fig and pistachio’

Peter Egli, General Manager of Whatley Manor commented, “As we enter an exciting year from the hotel with the celebration of our 10th birthday in July 2013 we can reflect on the last decade and appreciate how much we have achieved in this time. We are delighted that a large part of our success can be attributed to the consistently high standards of exceptional cuisine that Martin and his team have produced and the continued desire for our guests to experience cuisine of such a high calibre. Whatley Manor is now undeniably a must on any food enthusiasts list for 2013."

The Dining Room serves dinner Wednesday – Sunday. The à la carte menu in ‘The Dining Room’ costs from £79 per person. The seven course tasting menu is £99 per person. Wine matching alongside the tasting menu is an additional £60. Le Mazot, the brasserie is open daily for lunch and dinner. A three-course lunch in Le Mazot costs from £35 excluding wine. 
 
A one night stay at Whatley Manor costs from £305 for a standard room including bed and breakfast, full use of the award winning spa Aquarias, vat and 10% discretionary service charge.

For further information and to book call Whatley Manor on 01666 822 888 or visit the website at www.whatleymanor.com.

Whatley Manor is a member of Relais & Châteaux.
 Ends

For further
information please call Anthea Yabsley at IDeal Public Relations on 020 8578 6777 or email [email protected] or contact Eloise Gordon on 01666 827 086 or email [email protected]

Notes of Editors: 

Whatley Manor opened in July 2003 following three and a half years of extensive restoration. The Landolt family independently own Whatley Manor - Mrs Alix Landolt and Mr Christian Landolt. Since March 2004, Mr Peter Egli, General Manager oversees the overall management and operations.

 Recent Accolades include: 

AA Inspectors Choice Hotel – Five Red Stars - Four Rosettes

Two Michelin stars retained by head chef Martin Burge

Grands Chef Status Relais & Châteaux

Grands Chef Trophy 2011, Relais & Châteaux Champagne Taittinger

‘Most Excellent Restaurant 2012’ awarded by Condé Nast Johansens

Good Food Guide 2012 8/10. Top 20 restaurants in the UK

Condé Nast Traveller ‘Best UK Leisure Hotel’ 7/20

Condé Nast Traveller‘Best Spas in the UK Hotels’ 6/15

The Dining Room 23/100 – The Sunday Times Food List 2011 in association with Harden’s

4th‘Best Leisure Hotel in the World’ – Bilanz Magazine
 
Biography: Martin Burge 

Martin began his career at the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath with Michael Croft, who was Head Chef at the time, having graduated with distinctions from Brunel TechnologyCollege in Bristol. He followed Croft to London working at the renowned Mirabelle restaurant. His first taste of a Michelin star establishment was at Pied a Terre under the watchful eye of Richard Neat and the proprietor, David Moore.  The opportunity to work with Raymond Blanc at ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons’ beckoned and Martin worked his way up to the position of Sous Chef. Martin then met John Burton Race whilst working at ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons’ and eventually he went to work with Burton-Race at L’Ortolan as Senior Sous Chef where he was soon promoted to Head Chef at the age of 27. Burton Race decided to uproot and move his restaurant to ‘The Landmark Hotel’, Marylebone, London. They successfully retained the accolades and achieved two Michelin stars in just one year.

In 2003 Martin left London to return to his west country roots where he became Head Chef for the opening of Whatley Manor in Wiltshire. Here he oversees both the fine dining restaurant – ‘The Dining Room’ and the brasserie style restaurant, ‘Le Mazot’. In the last 7 years he has achieved numerous accolades, attaining his first Michelin star in January 2005. In September 2008 the AA awarded ‘The Dining Room’ four AA rosettes and in January 2009 Michelin awarded Burge a second star for his acclaimed cuisine. This was swiftly followed in June 2009 with the BMW Square Meal award for ‘Best Out of Town UK Restaurant 2009’ and in November of the same year The Independent voted Burge ‘Chef of the Year’. In August 2010 The Good Food Guide listed ‘The Dining Room’ in the top 20 restaurants in the UK with a score rating of 8 out of10. Martin is recognised as ‘Grands Chef’ by Relais & Châteaux and awarded the ‘Grands Chef Trophy 2011’.

TV Credits; Martin has participated in the semi-finals of ‘MasterChef; The Professionals’ 2010 and has appeared as a judge in the finals since 2008.