Dominic Chapman resigns as head chef at the Royal Oak

Dominic Chapman has resigned from the one-Michelin-star Royal Oak in Paley Street, Berkshire, where he has been head chef for seven and a half years.

Having reached the age of 40 and with a young family, Chapman said that now was the time to stand on his own two feet and get a place of his own.

"My time at the Royal Oak have really been the best cooking years of my life, I have loved everything about the place," he explained.
"However, I really would like to try and create something of my own."

“The Royal Oak has had incredible success and I wish the team the very best of luck for the future.”

Chapman arrived at the Royal Oak in 2007, having previously been head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s Hinds Head pub in Bray. The Royal Oak achieved a Bib Gourmand in 2008 and a Michelin star two years later, which it continues to hold today along with three-AA-rosettes and a 6/10 rating in the Good Food Guide. Since 2012, Chapman also been responsible for overseeing the kitchens at the Belgian Arms in Holyport, sister pub to the Royal Oak.

Chapman who is representing the south west region in the current series of the BBC TV programme, Great British Menu, is currently in the process of negotiating the acquisition of a business in Berkshire.

He will leave the Royal Oak on 9 June, when he will be replaced as head chef by Michael Chapman (no relation), who has been Chapman’s sous chef for four years.

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