A hotel and spa is celebrating the appointment of its new head chef - and it’s a familiar face.

Alex Easterby took up the role of head chef at The Malvern on January 1 after working as its sous chef for four years.

Having been in the industry for 14 years, Alex started his career at local hotel, Cottage in the Woods, where he was offered a job after work experience, starting as a waiter before heading into the kitchen when he finished school.

Alex joined the team at The Malvern in November 2018 and says his plan is simple - to listen to customers’ feedback, produce top-quality food and always strive to improve.

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Alex said: “I’m thrilled to be head chef in a venue that means a lot to me, it’s definitely one of my biggest achievements to date.

“Stepping up and becoming a manager and looking at the bigger picture is certainly a challenge, but it’s one I’m ready for.

“I absolutely love the buzz you get from a busy service, when the food is going out, looking amazing and the customers are happy.

“I have always loved cooking. My inspiration comes from all over; from cookbooks to social media, I like following foodies and influencers on different platforms and seeing what they create.”

While Covid had a huge impact on the hospitality industry, Alex said he would encourage anyone interested to “jump in with both feet.”

He said: “The hospitality industry isn’t anything like the media portray it as. TV shows don’t show you the true day-to-day life of what working in the industry is like.

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“For anyone thinking about a career in the industry, I would say just do it. Jump in with both feet and don’t give up once you’ve started - start as soon as you can; the more knowledge you can take in the stronger you will become later down the line.”

Amy Downton, general manager at The Malvern, said: “Alex has been a valued member of The Malvern team for a number of years now and to see him progress to now being our head chef is not only a huge achievement but well deserved too.

“As someone familiar with our offering here at The Malvern, I have no doubt that Alex will be respectful of the food and produce we are known for, while also putting his own stamp on the menu. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”