Simon Cadge - Chef / Patron
Chef/Patron Simon Cadge
The quality of the food at the Crown is a reflection of the pedigree of Simon’s training and experience.
Apprenticed to Trust House Forte, Simon trained for three years at the Bull Hotel in Long Melford, staying on for a further two years as Sous Chef. “The food at the Bull was OK,” he recalls, “but I wanted to cook better food and took a demotion to move to the Swan Hotel in Lavenham. Andrew Barras was the chef at that time and he had worked at Balmoral and the Gleneagles Hotel. He was inspirational, and I stayed there for six years, taking over as head chef when he moved on.”
Simon’s next move was to the Bridge in Huntingdon, headquarters of the Huntsbridge group. “I went there”, he recalls “because the head chef had worked at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Quat’ Saisons. He brought a lot of the quality of Le Manoir with him and I stayed for over five years; becoming head chef and taking over the brigade of 15 chefs for the last two years I was there.
"The Crown is my first venture as Chef Patron. Our aim here is to provide quality, freshly cooked food at sensible prices. I like English, Italian, French and Thai food, and my inspiration comes from my experience. I try to create a menu with something for all tastes, using the best produce I can find. My meat, for example, comes from Aubrey Allen, the National Catering Butcher of the Year, and my fish from Channel Fisheries of Brixham. I buy smoked fish, game and meats from Local Flavour of Bottisham, and, of course, my vegetable suppliers are local.”