Simon Bonwick announces departure from the Dew Drop Inn

Chef Simon Bonwick has confirmed he will be cooking his last service with chef son Charlie Bonwick at the Dew Drop Inn in Hurley on 14 July.

Simon and Deborah Bonwick took over the Brakspear-owned pub in Maidenhead in January 2023, where they have been based for the past 18 months.

In September last year, Simon promoted Charlie to the role of chef de cuisine.

The site, which dates to the 16th century, has a “tiny” bar and around 20 covers in the dining room, which served Simon’s “creative expression of country pub cooking”.

The Bonwick family previously ran the Crown at Burchetts Green in Maidenhead for nine years, with several of Simon’s nine children working in the restaurant. It won a Michelin star in 2016 and the Michelin Welcome & Service Award in 2020.

They sold the business to chef Dominic Chapman in 2022 and briefly oversaw the Princess of Shoreditch pub in London, before returning to the Maidenhead area to reopen the Dew Drop Inn in February 2023. The pub quickly gained a recommendation in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2023.

A message to guests read: “We have loved being in the Hurley Forest, it’s a unique spot for a country pub offering our particular style of hospitality. It’s a story for us that has reached its natural conclusion.

“CEO Tom Davies and Gavin Mansfield [business development manager] at Brakspear have given inspirational guidance, and have been instrumental in raising the Dew Drop Inn on to its new iron legs for the future tenants that are to be confirmed shortly. Finally, we’ve had a great laugh and are happy and proud of the new story we have created for the Dew Drop Inn’s ongoing future and success.”

Simon confirmed he remains open to opportunities while working on his second cookbook, Complete Pub Cookery.