Chef News is sponsored by the the Kitchen Porters Club
The luxury retreat on a regenerative 450-acre farm at the foot of Dartmoor, has appointed Elly Wentworth as Executive Chef. Known for her precise, produce-led cooking and deep respect for provenance, Elly brings a wealth of experience and a refined, seasonal approach that aligns with the farm’s sustainable, farm-to-fork ethos.
At The Refectory, Fowlescombe’s all-day dining space now open to non-resident guests for the first time, Elly leads the kitchen with a menu that begins just beyond the dining room door. Every dish is shaped by what the fields and garden produce, changing daily in response to the harvest and guided by a close partnership with Head Gardener Shelley Hutcheon. From organic heritage vegetables and vibrant salads to edible flowers, Szechuan peppers, and homegrown turmeric, the kitchen works with whatever is fresh, ripe and abundant. Farm Manager, Rosie Ball, also provides regeneratively farmed meat from the farm’s native breeds, including English Longhorn and Shorthorn cattle, Manx Loaghtan sheep, Tamworth pigs and Boer goats.
“Working with Elly so closely means we grow with intention, knowing how and when produce will be used. It’s rewarding to see ingredients go from soil to plate, just metres from harvest. This direct connection between producer, chef and diner, and the community that this creates, is what makes Fowlescombe so special,” says Shelley.
Rosie adds, “Elly joining the team marks an exciting new chapter for Fowlescombe. Her approach to cooking is completely aligned with the way we farm – thoughtful, sustainable, and led by what the land gives us”.
The connection between land, plate and people is central to the experience at Fowlescombe. Guests don’t just eat the farm’s produce – they experience it firsthand. Mornings might start with a walk through the kitchen gardens with chefs to pick herbs for dinner, while evenings might begin with picking greenhouse botanicals to garnish a cocktail later that evening. Surplus ingredients – such as the last of the summer tomatoes, a glut of late summer cucumbers or even homegrown chillis – are preserved, pickled or dehydrated to capture the flavour of the seasons all year round. For anything not grown or raised on-site, Elly sources carefully from a trusted network of South West producers,
including Flying Fish Seafood in Cornwall and How Now Dairy, an organic dairy producer less than a mile from the farm.
“I’ve always cooked with the seasons and sought out the best local produce – but at Fowlescombe, I’m working directly with what the land gives us,” says Elly. “Shelley and Rosie grow and rear everything with care, and it’s my job to translate that onto the guest’s plate. It’s a completely collaborative process, and there’s a sense that we are building a real community and learning from each other every day.”
The four-course daily changing dinner menu is shaped around what is in season on the farm and the South West. Dinner begins with a course of charcuterie produced just up the hill at the farm’s sister company, Rare & Pasture, often using meat from the site, as well as a soup using the freshest vegetables from the garden, such as Courgette & Elderflower Velouté. This is followed by starters such as Garden Vegetable Risotto with Basil & Goat’s Curd, Manx Loaghtan Neck Caramelle with Lamb Consommé and Broad Beans, or Cured John Dory with Buttermilk and Gooseberries. The main course features the likes of Fillet of Shorthorn Beef with Cavolo Nero Pesto and Summer Vegetables, and Line Caught Seabass with Basil Velouté and Smoked Almonds. Desserts include Poached Apricot with Farm Honey Cremeux and Toasted Granola, and Cucumber & Lime Granita with Berries and White Chocolate Curd.
Chef News is sponsored by the the Kitchen Porters Club
