Tag Archives: Nathan Eades

#TastyMorsel: Nathan Eades announced as Head Chef of Michelin Starred Simpsons Restaurant. 

Posted in Birmingham, Cafés and Restaurants, Edgbaston, Independent, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

  
Exciting news reached me yesterday through the Twitter world that Nathan Eades, former chef owner of Epi at The Courtyard in Bromsgrove has taken over from Matt Cheal to become head chef at Simpsons. 

Ruth and I have been to Simpsons numerous times since we met. The place is fantastic, a beautiful building, sophisticated, iconic in Birmingham and a special place to visit for that celebratory occasion. It just has a way of making you feel special and indeed cossatted. 

On the last two times I’ve bisited though I’ve felt a little underwhelmed by the Vegetarian dishes. Though not bad in any way, I felt other like for like restaurants in the Michelin world and indeed in Birmingham did things better. More adventurous, more care, more emphasis on the ingredients.

Having tried Nathan’s food at Epi in Bromsgrove and raving about it on my blog, I’m excited to see what veggie concoctions he can come up with in his new kitchen. It should be interesting and I’m sure an improvement. See my review here: 

https://vegiefoodie.com/2014/10/01/epi-restaurant-beautiful-vegetarian-dishes-in-bromsgrove-worcestershire/

Nathan’s appointment comes at a time of major change for the restaurant which is currently undergoing the latter stages of a refurbishment. 
Nathan will be in the kitchen ready for the reopening on Wednesday 16 September. 

Nathan began his culinary year as a catering student at Worcester College and spent two years working as an apprentice at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire. In the past 11 years he has worked at Lainstone House in Winchester, Swinfen Hall Hotel and spent a year in Vancouver working at the Wedgwood Hotel and Spa. Prior to setting up his own restaurant Nathan spent more than a year working as senior sous chef at Fishmore Hall Hotel in Ludlow, the only restaurant in the area to hold three AA rosettes at the time. 

The new look Simpsons will be reopening with limited availability from Wednesday 16 September, please call 0121 454 3434 or email info@simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk to reserve your table. 

For further information please visit: http://www.simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk

Thanks for reading. 

Andy 

  
How Simpsons will look after its refurbishment. 

Photos courtesy of Nathan Eades/Simpsons. 

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Nathan Eades former Head Chef of Epi moves to St Andrew’s Hotel Droitwich Spa. 

Posted in Cafés and Restaurants, Food, Hotels, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

Nathan Eades formally of Bromsgrove’s eponymous restaurant Epi at The Courtyard, has joined as Head Chef of St Andrew’s Town Hotel in Droitwich Spa. 

Nathan will oversee all aspects of the food offering at the 31 Bedroom property, including the relaunch of the hotels restaurant which is due to re-open on 1st September 2015. 

  
Drawing on experience from working with industry high profile names, Nathan will look to bring a similar dining experience as to what one would have experienced at Epi, great food without the fuss of fine dining. 

On his appointment Nathan commented “I am delighted to join such a well respectable and established hotel such as St. Andrew’s with such fantastic produce on our doorstep, creating a ‘Modern British’ menu in such idyllic surroundings will be an absolute delight. Our goal is to create not only a fantastic Hotel/Restaurant within Droitwich, but one within the Midlands and the UK. 

Having experienced one of the best Vegetarian meals of last year at Epi, I know that Nathan’s cooking is innovative, using the best seasonal produce, and creating dishes that bring out the best in their flavours and textures. His dishes also look stunning too. 

   
   Photos from my previous visit to Epi. 

The St Andrew’s Town Hotel was built in the 1820’s as the home of the town clerk of Droitwich Spa. The elegant Georgian building which has been sympathetically extended, refurbished and with a tranquil garden, making you feel that your’e in a country house retreat, not minutes from the Motorway network. The hotel also has a choice of function rooms for both business and kwasurw customers, including a new orangery which seats up to 150 guests. It can also cater for weddings and functions. 

I’m looking forward to visiting the restaurant when it opens in September and the new vegetarian dishes are launched. 

Thanks for reading 

Andy 😊

Twitter: https://twitter.com/st_kitchen

@nathaneades

@standrews_hotel 

#Tastymorsels: changes in the Midlands foodie scene. 

Posted in Birmingham, Cafés and Restaurants, City Centre, Food, Independent, Independent Birmingham, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

Last week I mentioned that chef Nathan Eades had sadly closed his Bromsgrove restaurant Epi and was in the process of looking at properties in Birmingham to re open in or around the city. Unfortunately that too has now fell through. Though Nathan hasn’t disbanded the business, things are on hold. 

The good news is that Nathan has been appointed Head chef at St Andrews Town Hotel in Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire. Droitwich is 6 miles from Bromsgrove and is a pretty spa town in and around the lovely Worcestershire hills. St Andrews is well known in the area for a been a good wedding venue and has 31 rooms. 

Nathan has told me that he will be cooking food in the same style as Epi, so that’s great news for vegetarians as you know I’m a big fan of his innovative and seasonal dishes. He is due to begin his head chef position in June. 

More to follow.

The big change that was announced in the Birmingham restaurant scene last Week was that chef David Colcombe has left two AA rosette and Veggie Foodie favourite Opus Restaurant, who also form part of the group with Cafe Opus and Bar Opus. This is by ‘mutual agreement’ in order ‘to pursue other interests’. 

I wish David all the best in his future endeavours and thank him for some superb vegetarian food over the years, including the wonderful vegetarian source dinner last year which Ruth and I had such fun at. 

I’m sure it won’t be long before we hear more news on this. 

St Andrews Town Hotel, St Andrews Drive, Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR 9 8BS. 

01905-779 677.

http://www.st-andrewshotel.com/

EPI RESTAURANT: BEAUTIFUL VEGETARIAN DISHES IN BROMSGROVE WORCESTERSHIRE

Posted in Cafés and Restaurants, Independent, vegetarian, Veggie foodie by

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Epi Restaurant is located in Bromsgrove a little outside of Birmingham in Worcestershire.

The Epi concept is one that is innovative. Nathan Eades is an excellent chef, his vegetarian creations were thoughtful and innovative, sublime in texture with no risotto or pasta in sight.

I had heard many excellent reports of Epi. From their pop ups in Kings Heath in Birmingham which were well received, though I didn’t make any of their nights I knew Nathan was a creative sympathetic chef when it came to vegetarian food and had thus kept an eye on his movements.

Epi headed to Bromsgrove and has been open close to a year so I thought it was about time I tasted the Epi concept in the beautiful courtyard in which it resides.

Ruth and I headed to Bromsgrove on a Friday night and found the courtyard to be a beautiful setting for what was to prove to be a fine evening.

The building Epi at the Courtyard is in has delightful period details, low beams and a creaking floor and staircase. It has a lovely atmosphere, with nooks and a small intimate feel that is charming and quaint with a winding stair case that leads to an upstairs restaurant where we sat. There is also a downstairs section too.

Nathan and his wife and business partner Charlie run the restaurant jointly. Charlie looks after front of house and Nathan the kitchen.

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Ruth and I chose the 5 course menu. Ruth had the non vegetarian.

The dishes I ate were not off a set menu but created on the night adapting the main menu with the ingredients at hand. This makes for an organic and challenging process that keeps dishes fresh.

We began with some beautiful home made bread.

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I began with the Sweetcorn fritters, Sweetcorn relish, celeriac, remoulade, (veggie BBQ)

Well cooked Sweetcorn fritters with a subtle notes of Sweetcorn relish. With a thinly sliced celeriac remoulade offering a bite of mustard. (Celeri remoulade) which gave it a BBQ flavour. A lovely dish.

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To follow I had what was called Cauliflower tasting, roasted florets, purée, couscous, tempura, carpaccio.

My favourite dish on the night. Beautiful contrasting textures of cauliflower, perfect for the cauliflower lover. The roasted cauliflower and the purée sitting on a bed of couscous like rice offering contrasting textures. Every texture of cauliflower shone through independently to make a complete dish. Absorbing.

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To follow I had the Roast shallots, blue cheese croquettes, onion purée/ash/pickled.

The roast shallots harmonised well with the blue cheese croquettes to create a pickled texture that worked well.

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Then came the fennel braised in orange, heritage carrots, watercress purée, roasted millet couscous.

A delicious combination of flavours, a fine main course dish the carrots offering a crunch against the purée of the watercress and the brayed fennel with the subtle sweetness of orange on a bed of millet couscous.

A lovely dish.

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For desert Ruth and I had the same dish it was stunning.

The white chocolate mousse, blackberry purée, foraged blackberries macerated in port with pistachio crumble and praline lemon curd.

A complex desert, lavish and decadent. A lush port flavour complimented by the wild blackberry, offering a splash of colour. The mousse creamy and full of lovely chocolate flavour.

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The service was friendly throughout without being intrusive.

Nathan is an enthusiastic chef who shows a generous flair for creating superb and memorable vegetarian dishes. Very high end on style and flavours, the textures are sophisticated and worthy of the hard work he puts into his menu and restaurant.

Epi at the courtyard is a lovely restaurant that is as good as many more expensive restaurants in the midlands and for vegetarians it is a dream. Well worth a trip out to.

It cannot be recommended more than that.

Epi at The Courtyard
Satchwells Court
High street
Bromsgrove
Worcestershire
B61 8AQ

http://www.epirestaurant.co.uk
@RestaurantEpi

01527878242

Epirestaurant@hotmail.co.uk

We paid for our own meal. My opinions are my own and honest of the food and the service.

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