Popular gastropub The Chequers on Rivers Street in Bath has announced the appointment of 38-year-old Ross Harper as their new Head Chef.
Mr Harper brings a wealth of experience from respected pubs and restaurants across the country to the city centre establishment.
Fresh from his most recent role as Executive Chef for the OHH Pub Company, which comprises The Old House at Home, The Northey Arms, The Bear and Swan and The Rising Sun, Ross took up the position in April this year.
Ross first caught the cooking bug from his grandparents. He said: “My grandad grew lots of fruit and veg in his garden, so I spent lots of time picking things and cooking with my Nan while my mum worked.
“Slicing runner beans, learning how to string onions, picking and stewing gooseberries and making pastry for apple pie – it’s where the passion started for me.”
Having grown up in Bristol, Ross started working part-time as a kitchen porter and a waiter while studying: “The flexible hours of catering worked well for me. I quickly learned to love it and ended up becoming a full-time chef.”
He developed his cooking skills in a variety of kitchens in the region, including a stint as sous chef at The Mill at Rode before heading for London in 2008 to take up the position of sous chef at the 2AA rosette St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar by Searcys.
The 200-cover Art Deco style restaurant and open-air champagne bar was constantly busy and provided a great foundation for becoming Head Chef and founding partner at the acclaimed gastropub, The Woodman in Highgate, in 2011.
Ross stayed for six busy and very successful years, before joining the Bath Pub Company earlier this year.
Ross has already set about making his mark on the food offering and is excited about what the future might bring.
He said: “The food at The Chequers has always been special. “I’ve retained that but simplified the menu slightly and put a greater emphasis on flavour. My style of food is honest, British, seasonally-inspired and flavourful.”
Visitors to The Chequers will find the likes of heritage tomatoes with Bloody Mary mousse and Parmesan shortbread; whole baked plaice with beurre noisette, capers, lemon and samphire and poached rhubarb with coconut milk rice pudding and gingerbread, alongside the pub classics, on the menu.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ross to head up the kitchen team at The Chequers,” said Joe Cussens, Managing Director of The Bath Pub Company.
“We asked Ross to develop a menu that looked and felt special but also relevant to its pub setting. We think he’s delivered that in spades and our customers seem to agree: feedback so far about Ross’s menu has been outstanding – our current customer satisfaction scores have never been higher.
“There’s a really good feeling about the pub right now – I think both the service and food are spot on.
“We’re really looking forward to working with him and our general manager Harriet Furlong and the team on this next chapter for The Chequers, and can’t wait for the locals of Bath to discover his food.”
