Last year we were delighted to welcome Head Chef Luke Gale to our established brigade of professionals working in our exciting restaurant.
Luke grew up in the West Sussex village of Fernhurst and undertook his training at nearby Chichester College.
Chichester College is renowned for its emphasis on excellence in the kitchen, and restaurant talent, together with creativity and team work. Just three days into his college course, Luke knew there was no doubt he wanted to make a career of becoming a chef. Quite frankly we think Chichester College did itself proud; not only is our food locally sourced but so is our talent!
But he wasn’t quite ready for us at that point! Fast-forward a few years, and after gaining a wealth of experience in some far flung and local establishments like the Earl of March and Halfway Bridge, Luke came to work at Crouchers.
Luke’s inspiration is the award-winning Peter Gilmore, the Executive Chef at Sydney’s Quay restaurant (one of Australia’s most awarded and celebrated restaurants) and the newly opened Bennelong at Sydney Opera House.
If anyone has had a peek at some of the Australian cooking shows on TV you’ll know they get quite excitable about their food.
Australia seems a little far away to sample any of Gilmore’s exquisite dishes, but his influence definitely shines through in the dishes produced by Luke and his talented team.
With a particular passion for working with fish, seasonal and local ingredients, Luke’s dishes not only showcase exquisite flavours, but they look amazing too. What you get on your plate is an artistic creation – pleasing to the eye and tastes even better.
But don’t forget the basics. Luke has taken bar lunch favourites and given our bar and snack menu a bit of a makeover.
Why not sample our chef’s latest creations by booking a table in our restaurant? Or plan some alfresco dining in our lovely rear garden overlooking fields.
Our menus change frequently, and examples can be found on our Restaurant webpage.
