Roux Scholar Frederick Forster joins Gore London hotel as head chef

Former National Chef of the Year and Roux Scholar Frederick Forster has joined the Gore London hotel as head chef of its F&B outlets, including 190 Queen’s Gate restaurant.

Between 2020 and 2022 Forster was head chef of Read’s Restaurant in Faversham, before which he headed the kitchen of D&D London’s Plateau restaurant in Canary Wharf. He had previously worked for D&D as head chef of the group's Le Pont de la Tour restaurant before moving to the same role as head chef at the Don restaurant in the City of London, owned by the Bleeding Heart group.

Forster won the Roux Scholarship in 2000 before going on to train under chef Pierre Gagnaire in Paris. In 2011 he was named National Chef of the Year and was awarded a Master of Culinary Arts (MCA) by the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in 2013.

He said: "I am delighted to join the Gore London – Starhotels Collezione and its 190 Queen's Gate restaurant as new head chef. With the hotel's outstanding record for incredible cooking and conviviality, I look forward to further enhancing its reputation and curating dishes that will celebrate the best of the local ingredients that we have here in the UK."

Thomas Orchard, complex general manager, added: "Everyone at the Gore London – Starhotels Collezione is extremely excited to have Frederick on board. His appointment as our head chef will only further enhance the hotel's reputation for showcasing the very best cuisine. We look forward to welcoming guests back to the restaurant as it opens this month, to try Frederick’s inspired and delicious dishes."

Gore London’s restaurant will reopen this month offering a pre-theatre dinner menu (two courses from £30; three courses from £35) featuring dishes such as spring vegetable vol-au-vent; seabream with glazed courgettes and potato dumplings and sticky toffee pudding. A full à la carte menu will be available from September.