Former Chef Who Cooked For Royal Family Will Lead £3m New Norfolk Food Hall

George Brentnall is nan caller wide head of the Norfolk Food Hall, expected to unfastened astir May 21.

And nan 35-year-old brings a wealthiness of acquisition from an artisan nutrient profession which began making royal meals for Queen Elizabeth and her family.

He joined the Royal Household arsenic an apprentice cook connected a assemblage placement astatine nan property of 18, working successful a squad of much than 20 chefs cooking astatine Buckingham Palace successful London, but besides travelling to Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral.

Mr Brentnall remembered the royals could often beryllium recovered successful nan room erstwhile they travelled extracurricular nan capital.

"When they were successful Norfolk aliases Scotland it is much of a homely consciousness and they mightiness rotation into nan kitchen," he said.

"On smaller trips you whitethorn spot nan Queen, but it was chiefly nan Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Philip] who would usually wander in and would beryllium rather willing successful what was going on. I sometimes would person to screen nan pastry conception and he would travel and chat and you would say: 'We person sewage these things we tin do for you, what do you fancy for dinner?'

"He was ever rather up location pinch nan banter, arsenic you mightiness expect. He would happily person a bully chat successful nan kitchen. 

"Sometimes I would spell moving connected nan property and a fewer times you would bump into nan Queen and conscionable not cognize what to do.

"When you really talked to them it was overmuch much relaxed than you mightiness think."

After 3 years pinch nan Royal Household, Mr Brentnall returned location to Walberswick connected the Suffolk seashore wherever he started the Black Dog Deli pinch his woman Isabel.

He moved to Norwich successful 2016 to lead the deli squad astatine Jarrolds section store, and went connected to activity arsenic operations head for nan city's Bread Source artisan bakery arsenic good arsenic spending six months making food at Fen Farm Dairy successful Bungay.

All this acquisition has prepared him for nan situation of moving nan caller Norfolk Food Hall - which he described as "the nutrient unit type of representing Norfolk astatine shot aliases cricket".

"The point that ties everything together is simply a emotion for artisan nutrient and nan stories astir it," he said. "It is nan romance of it, I suppose, and besides a consciousness of spot successful position of wherever things travel from and really they are connected to nan organization and nan landscape.

"That is why I consciousness truthful excited astir this project, because it is simply a chance to really get into telling those stories.

"If we tin bring nan customer person to what happens successful agriculture, that is 1 of nan large intends of nan Norfolk Food Hall."

The nutrient hallway is simply a flagship task for showground owners nan Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), said managing head Mark Nicholas.

"We are building this to supply a flagship showcase for nan nutrient and portion assemblage successful this awesome county," he said.

"It will beryllium much than nan sum of its parts, it will beryllium much than conscionable a very ample workplace shop and a restaurant, and astatine nan infinitesimal we are firmly connected people to unfastened successful nan 2nd half of May, astir apt information astir May 21."

George Brentnall, a erstwhile cook successful nan Royal Household, is nan caller wide head of nan £3m Norfolk Food Hall, owed to unfastened connected May 21 astatine nan Norfolk Showground (Image: Denise Bradley)