Jack Clayton appointed head chef at the Scarlet hotel

The Scarlet hotel in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, has appointed Jack Clayton as head chef of the hotel’s sea view restaurant.

The 37-bedroom hotel’s restaurant is open for non-residents and hotel guests, offering an à la carte menu for £60 for three courses alongside a seven-course tasting menu.

Clayton has committed to using organic, local produce on the menus, with plans to offer coastal foraging courses for hotel guests. He also aims to achieve a Michelin green star in 2023.

Starters on the menu include white gazpacho with almond, cucumber, grape, mint and garlic; and sea trout pastrami with horseradish, cucumber, mustard seeds and soda bread.

Mains will showcase locally caught fish, such as whole John Dory served with leek, parsley, lemon butter sauce and herring eggs, as well as Warren’s lamb rump with broad bean, pea, tarragon, hung yogurt and oyster leaf.

Desserts will range from chocolate choux with hazelnut, dulce de leche and vanilla ice-cream to peach with mascarpone parfait, almond cookie and rosemary.

Clayton was previously head chef at the Stargazy Inn in Port Isaac, and before that the Sardine Factory in Looe. His first position in Cornwall was at the Gurnard’s Head near Treen, and in 2017 Jack and his partner took a management couple position at the Carew Arms near Torpoint.

The Scarlet is part of Red Hotels, which also owns the Bedruthan hotel in Mawgan Porth.