Executive Chef at Whatley Manor
Ricki Weston was appointed Executive Chef at Whatley Manor near Malmesbury having been part of the team at Whatley Manor for over three years. In his role as Executive Chef Ricki oversees all food and beverage offerings at the Whatley, including Michelin-starred The Dining Room, Grey’s offering a welcoming neighbourhood restaurant experience, room service, afternoon tea, and private dining.
Born and raised in Storrington, West Sussex, Ricki’s career kicked off in 2010 at Whites Kitchen in nearby Steyning as Commis Chef, progressing to Demi Chef de Partie. He then moved to Wabi, a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Horsham, as Chef de Partie (2011-12). Staying in Horsham, Ricki joined the South Lodge Hotel’s brasserie, The Camellia, as Chef de Partie, with Steven Edwards at the helm (2012-14), before moving to the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Matt Gillan at The Pass as Chef de Partie (2014-15).
In November 2015, Ricki was appointed Chef de Partie, then Junior Sous Chef, at Michelin two-starred Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham where he spent three years, before joining Whatley Manor as Sous Chef in August 2018. Shortly after joining the team, Ricki took part in the 2019 Roux Scholarship where he was one of 18 young chefs who reached the regional finals of the competition.
In February 2022 after only a few weeks in his role as Executive Chef Ricki gained one Michelin Star for The Dining Room, an impressive attainment at the start of his journey, Whatley also retained their Green Michelin star, an award given in recognition of Sustainable Gastronomy.
Ricki has already evolved the food story at Whatley bringing a new focus on the finest British ingredients, and some interesting traditional cooking methods.
