Niall Keating appointed executive chef at Whatley Manor

Whatley Manor, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, has appointed a chef with recent experience in Copenhagen and San Francisco as executive chef.

Niall Keating will join the five-red-AA-star, 23-bedroom hotel on 1 December, replacing Martin Burge, who left the property last week, after 13 years in the role.

Whatley Manor is a 19th century Cotswolds manor house, which originally opened as a hotel in 1987 and was restored in 2003 by its current owners, Christian Landolt and his mother Alix. The property has been a member of Relais & Châteaux since 2004.Â

Born in Staffordshire, 25 year-old-Keating started his career as a pot-washer at the age of 15 at the Fitzherbert Arms in Swynnerton. He said he was immediately hooked on “the buzz and fast pace of the kitchen environment”.

In 2010 he joined the Bath Priory hotel as commis chef and within two years worked his way up to sous chef. A move to Nottingham in 2013 took him to chef de partie at the two-Michelin Restaurant Sat Bains, where he stayed for two years.

Keating’s overseas experience started with 12 months in San Francisico, USA, where he worked at the three-Michelin-star Benu under Corey Lee; followed by a stint in Copenhagen, Denmark as chef de cuisine at one-Michelin star Restaurant Kong Hans Kaelder,, with chef Mark Lundgaard Nielsen.Â

Sue Williams, who joined Whatley Manor as general manager in September from Cliveden in Taplow, Berkshire, and who was previously at the Bath Priory, said that she was delighted that Keating has chosen the hotel for his return to the UK. “When I first met him at the Bath Priory, his talent was immediately evident, and I have really enjoyed watching his career gather momentum.”

Keating added: “I would like to thank Christian and Sue for this fantastic opportunity. It is an exciting next step for me, and I look forward to evolving the cuisine at Whatley Manor.”

Martin Burge departs from two-Michelin starred Whatley Manor >>

Sue Williams to leave Cliveden to take up GM role at Whatley Manor >>

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