Tony Parkin announces departure from Brickmakers Arms after just a few months

After just a few months as head chef at the Brickmakers Arms in Surrey, chef Tony Parkin has taken the decision to leave and head to Ireland.

“After several years at the Tudor Room at Great Fosters, and having won and retained a Michelin star, I thought that it would be the ideal time for a change of pace,” he said in a statement.

“On reflection, this was not the right move for me, either personally or professionally, so I made the decision fairly quickly to tender my resignation.”

He added: “Though grateful for the opportunity to lead the Brickmakers Arms, I had to face the realisation that it was just not for me.”

In October Parkin will be relocating to Waterford to take up the position of head chef at the Michelin-starred House restaurant at the Cliff House hotel.

He continued: “My time away from fine dining included a lot of personal contemplation and I realised that I could not ignore my professional ambitions. It’s a calling. So, I am delighted to have found the support in the owners of Cliff House. Together we share the same visions for House restaurant.

“In recent years, Ireland has become noticed as a destination for food-lovers. Around Ireland, a new food culture has emerged, world class restaurants have opened, heritage, history and produce are widely celebrated. Ireland has become home to some incredible talent and I look forward to calling it my home.”

Cliff House hotel is a 39-bedroom hotel located in the fishing village of Ardmore, close to Cork and Waterford. It is owned by Cork businessman Barry O’Callaghan.

Parkin started his career as an apprentice under John Campbell at the Vineyard hotel in Stockcross. He then moved to Copenhagen, where he worked for Michelin-starred kitchens at Kommandaten and Noma.

On his return to the UK, he undertook roles at Northcote, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House before becoming head chef at the Tudor Room in Great Fosters in 2019. He rebranded the restaurant as Tony Parkin at the Tudor Room, which retained its Michelin star. Earlier this summer, Parkin announced his departure from the Tudor Room to "focus on new projects", and it was confirmed he would be joining Noble Inns' Brickmakers Arms.