Former Gordon Ramsay chef buys Cambridge restaurant

A former chef at Gordon Ramsay's Maze has purchased Restaurant 22 in Cambridge.

Sam Carter and fiancée Alex Oliver secured £300,000 of funding from NatWest and plan to refurbish the restaurant which will reopen on 24 March.

The 22-cover restaurant with 14 seat private dining room will offer a lunch time set and evening taster menu alongside an a la carte menu which will be available all day.

Carter, who recently has worked in a private catering business after being head chef at the bank UBS, sous chef at Gordon Ramsay's Maze in London, and commis chef at Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland, will serve a British menu focused around local produce..

Oliver, an experienced restaurant manager, will manage the front of house team.

The couple also plan to provide outside catering for functions and events, as well as offer cookery lessons.

Oliver said: "With Sam's extensive experience as a chef and my front of house knowledge, it has always been our dream to have our own restaurant. Thanks to the funding from NatWest, we were able to buy Restaurant 22 and draw on our experience to make it our own, with a fresh new look and local menu.

"Restaurant 22 opened three decades ago and we are really excited to be taking the helm of a historic bit of Cambridge. We hope to preserve its heritage while adding our own touches to appeal to both local diners and tourists."

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