The Idle Rocks names Dorian Janmaat as new head chef

The Idle Rocks in St Mawes, Cornwall, has welcomed Dorian Janmaat back to his home county to take on the position of head chef.

The new head chef will replace Guy Owen, who announced his departure after four-and-a-half years in the role last month. In anticipation of Janmaat's arrival the hotel will close for what it described as a winter refurbishment, opening again in February 2020.

Janmaat joins the 19-bedroom, waterfront Idle Rocks and its sister property the St Mawes hotel after eight years at Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat‘Saisons – the final three of which he spent as head chef.

He said: “I am really looking forward to bringing all that I have learnt from Gary Jones, executive head chef and Raymond, one of the industries greatest mentors, back to the county I grew up in. My ambition is to capture the local surroundings with each plate simple, pure and straight from the source. I’ll be building a new brigade in St Mawes and welcome interest from passionate and enthusiastic chefs interested in joining me”.

The hotel’s owner, David Richards, added: “We believe that there is a real appetite for food produced from the finest local ingredients, and in Cornwall we have the finest produce anywhere. We are excited to have the brilliance of Dorian in our kitchen who can turn them into incredible dishes for our guests."