Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa has a new head chef at the helm of one of its most popular Lake District restaurants.
Matt Jones is the new chef in charge of the kitchen team at Blue Smoke at Low Wood Bay in Windermere. It’s his first role as a head chef, having started his career as a kitchen assistant just five years ago.
Matt joined English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues in 2018 and rapidly worked his way up the catering team in a variety of different roles including chef de partie and junior sous chef.
Before joining the hotel group, he worked in security and hospitality before deciding that it was the latter in which he wanted to forge a career. He saw the job advertised at Low Wood Bay and decided to take the plunge.
With a combination of in-house training and mentoring from senior chefs and managers at the hotel group, Matt took on greater responsibilities and worked his way up the kitchen hierarchy.
Matt quickly recognised his affinity for helping to run the kitchen. Better still has been his fascination for the restaurant’s double wood-fired grill, sensing the opportunity to get more and more involved in traditional cooking techniques over hot embers and innovative flavours in meats, fish and vegetables.
Blue Smoke is a great place to work, especially as I have a real taste for the type of barbecue and wood smoked steak and meat dishes we serve here. It suits me right down to the ground. When I joined the team here, I wanted to do well, but the main reason for my progression is really down to a strong team working environment, with plenty of development support and, importantly, a real sense of fun.
The English Lakes Hotels Culinary Academy provides youngsters with a one year apprenticeship, with the attainment of Level 2 Commis Chef and Level 3 Chef de Partie qualifications in partnership with Kendal College. The fully accredited courses allow the students to hone chef skills whilst earning an income.
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