Carnage at Coworth

Posted by chefhermes on April 19, 2012 · 11 Comments 

Kitchen door

News has landed at chefhermes.com that there are about to be several large departures from the troubled countryside outpost of the Dorchester Collection.

Opened in late September 2010 Coworth Park has seen relatively little stability. The departure of former 2Michelin star chef John Campbell in April 2011, along with many of his loyal ex-Vineyard staff appears to have been just the start. Many believe that Mr Campbell’s head chef Peter Eaton was the heir apparent after his former boss moved to his consultancy role. Yet the wisdom of the Dorchester Collection yet again defied belief. Instead of promoting a chef who knew the property & the team installed, they opted to recruit former Michelin starred chef Chris Meredith. Now it appears this plan has back fired, Mr Meredith is the first of three key personnel to be leaving his post for pastures new. It is believed that his new employer will be the playground of the rich & famous, Sandy Lane in Barbados.

In August 2010 chefhermes.com was the first to break the news that Sandy Lane would have a new Executive Chef in Jonathan Wright, the former Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons Head Chef now feels that adding Mr Meredith to his culinary armoury at the prestigious Caribbean retreat will strengthen the food offering.

Another member of the management team to leave is Scott Turner, the Food & Beverage Director. A strange appointment at the time, as you would think post John Campbell you would require an experienced operator with a prestigious background. Mr Turner joined Coworth Park along with Mr Meredith only in May last year from the Cedar Court & Spa in York and previous to that at the De-Vere Oulton Park Hotel. Did his appointment show the levels of desperation that the Dorchester Collection were now in or was it yet another cost cutting exercise? His new role will be General Manager of 256room Intercontinental Hotel, Westminster, London.

The finally member of the team to leave is Rachel Angell. Miss Angell is returning to The Dorchester where she spent 2years & 9months working as Assistant Banqueting Manager before moving to Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and then on to Coworth Park. The Oxford graduate’s new title will be Performance Manager, apparently a new role that has been created within The Dorchester Hotel to tackle bullying!

I want to wish the departing staff all the best for their new positions, but can’t help but wonder what the future has in store at Coworth Park.

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11 comments on “Carnage at Coworth”

  1. Pingback: » And still it rumbles on at Coworth Park…. » The Chef Hermes Blog The Chef Hermes Blog

  2. Pingback: » Musical chairs at Lime Wood? » The Chef Hermes Blog The Chef Hermes Blog

  3. Perhaps you should post when you actually know whats going on as opposed to listening to hearsay, it is IDIOTS such as yourself who only work against those who try very hard every day, and who are very happy in the place they work. You hide behind your pathetic waste of web bandwidth like some sort of lord, the reality is you are nothing but a little man.

    • Thank you for your comment ‘Joe’, just a couple of things.
      a) I’m sure that sending your comment to chefhermes.com via thedorchester.com server, which means you’re at work, is a great idea (possibly also a sackable offence).
      b) Everything I posted above was posted by the other traditional media outlet hours after me.
      c) If any part of the above story was wrong, how come The Dorchester Collection have done NOTHING to contact me to correct the story.
      d) Besides my original source of the story two other people got in touch to tell me about it.
      e) If I’m such a pathetic little man, how come I’m in todays Evening Standard lifestyle magazine?

      So all in all you’re not looking so great are you?

    • Come on Mr Joe Peaks, don’t get involved in things you have no idea of. 1 you are on your earlier 20 and you are challenging arguments far bigger than you. 2 you got the job there only because one of JC top mans had a hole to fill. 3 no need to bullshit really. Everybody knows that Coworth in an unhappy place and the restaurant now. Is sh*t, reason why the great excecutive chef lasted weeks and is going to a sous chef position abroad… Please.
      My suggestion is for you to keep your mouth well shut, your fingers on your willy and do what you do best: W*NK.

  4. If my information is correct the pastry chef and his sous chef will also shortly be on there way as well.

    • The Sous chef from what was ‘Restaurant John Campbell’ has already left or in his final days.
      He’ll be joining Chris Staines at his new venture in Bath, as reported here first: /
      The general consensus of opinion is that the Michelin star will be removed in October, mainly due to stability.
      Staffing levels for that particular kitchen have been rumoured to have been reduced by approximately 50%
      Thus seems like an underlying trend of cost cutting.