A CHEF who has cooked for HM The Queen and whose uncle is catering royalty has joined the team at one of the North East’s top hotels.
Lee Williams, former head chef at Northumberland’s Horton Grange Hotel, has been appointed senior sous chef at four-star Lumley Castle Hotel, Chester-le-Street.
And Lee, whose career has encompassed many of the North East’s most prestigious venues, is the third member of his family to make the kitchen his workplace.
For not only was his father, Alfie, a chef aboard the Royal Navy’s HMS Glasgow during the Falklands War, but his uncle, John Williams, is executive chef at The Ritz, London, where his customers routinely include celebrities and heads of state.
He was also voted 2017 AA Chef of the Year, “so I think I have some way to go before I’m at the level he has reached,” said Lee, “but his footsteps are definitely worth following in.
“His culinary-style is very much old-school French cuisine and those skills are still the bedrock for any chef.”
In his new role, Lee will be right hand man to head chef Christopher Delany, devising and creating new menus for the hotel’s acclaimed Black Knight restaurant and working with the hotel’s team of chefs and front of house staff.
The position is the latest in an impressive roll call of appointments for the Newcastle-based chef, who was part of the catering team for HM The Queen’s official opening of Bede’s World, Jarrow.
He went on to hold senior positions at the John Lewis Brasserie, Newcastle, Best Western Roker Hotel, Sunderland and with the Sir John Fitzgerald group.
Twice a finalist in the North East Chef of the Year competition, he has been a keen advocate of mentoring school children and encouraging them to learn to cook, “which probably isn’t surprising given that it’s been such a big part of my family’s life,” he said.
Announcing his appointment, sales manager Lauren Colledge said: “We are delighted to welcome Lee to the team.
“It is crucial to the success of The Black Knight Restaurant that we never rest on our laurels and that we attract superb chefs, who combine creativity and skill, to ensure our customers receive the highest possible standards every time they dine with us.”
For more information call 0191 389 1111 or visit www.lumleycastle.com.