Chef Tim Allen has been named as a partner in Daniel Clifford's Essex pub, the Flitch of Bacon, following his announcement last month that his plans to join Select Property Group in Manchester as executive director of food and beverage had fallen through.
The partnership between Allen and Clifford will commence in February and the restaurant will be renamed Tim Allen's Flitch of Bacon.
Allen will bring his signature skill set to the pub in Dunmow, providing seasonal, British cuisine with a modern edge.
Allen, who has previously worked with Clifford at the two-Michelin-star Midsummer House in Cambridge, said: "The Flitch of Bacon is a special venue, and together with my wife Magali, we very much would like the food, service and hospitality to match. Ultimately we wanted the opportunity to run our own business and are able to do that with Tim Allen's Flitch of Bacon."
Prior to the the Flitch of Bacon, Allen was executive chef at the Wild Rabbit in Kingham, Oxfordshire, where in 2016 it was awarded a Michelin star.
Allen boasts a stellar CV earning a Michelin star at D&D London's Launceston Place, and has worked with some of the country's top chefs including seven years under head chef Martin Burge at the two-Michelin-starred Whatley Manor, and four years with John Burton-Race, first at L'Ortolan and then at the Landmark London.
Speaking about the new direction of the business, Clifford added: "Having Tim join me once again, this time in his own right as chef-partner, is a huge deal for the Flitch and one that will see the already high standards of the restaurant improve even more.
"Due to the intense commitments of running a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Cambridge, there's no one I'd trust more than Tim in his capacity as chef and partner.
"He is a truly accomplished chef and his experience will aid Tim Allen's Flitch of Bacon in becoming the best of the best, cementing us as one of the finest restaurants in Essex."
Clifford bought the pub in 2015 and opened it as a traditional local pub, but last year reopened it after a short closure "with a more sophisticated menu to align itself more with Midsummer House".
Tim Allen confirms departure from Wild Rabbit >>
Daniel Clifford to reopen the Flitch of Bacon with new chef and menu >>
Chef Tim Allen named executive director of F&B at Select Property Group >>
Two-Michelin-starred Midsummer House to replace tasting menus with à la carte >>
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