John Broughton named head chef of the Royal Oak

John Broughton has been promoted to head chef of Richard Craven’s the Royal Oak in Whatcote, Warwickshire.

Broughton was also sous chef to Craven at the Chef’s Dozen in Chipping Campden, having joined from the Dormy House hotel in the Cotswolds in August 2016.

He was part of the opening team for the one-Michelin-starred Royal Oak before he left as sous chef for the former two-Michelin-starred Foxhill Manor in the Cotswolds, where he later became executive sous chef.

Broughton returned to the Royal Oak in February 2022 as sous chef, working alongside head pastry chef Wendy Gilardini.

He said: “I’m very proud to be taking on the role as head chef at the Royal Oak Whatcote. As my first head chef appointment I'm very excited for the future and moving forward with the team.

“What Richard and Solanche have built is truly special and I'm passionate about pushing forward and working closely with our local farmers and community to drive the menu, and our field to fork ethos, to new heights and achieve even higher standards than we already do.”