Following the appointment of Martin Burge as culinary director in April, Farncombe Estate in the Cotswolds has announced two new head chefs at Dormy House and Foxhill Manor.

Martin, who brings more than 27 years of experience to his new role, will now be joined by Sam Bowser and Matt Weedon at the hotels near Willersey, Gloucestershire.

Sam Bowser, who was appointed head chef at Dormy House last month, will work alongside Martin to reimagine the culinary offering at The Potting Shed - a relaxed and rustic setting serving classic British favourites and The Garden Room - an unpretentious gastronomic restaurant.

Originally from Lincolnshire, Sam has worked in some of the finest kitchens in the UK including the 2 Michelin Starred Whately Manor with Martin, as well as Le Manoir aux Quait Saisons with Raymond Blanc and Le Gavroche with Michel Roux Jnr.

Sam's first focus is developing a new menu at The Garden Room in conjunction with Martin, which will launch on September 6.

Matt Weedon has been appointed as the head chef at Foxhill Manor, the exclusive eight-bedroom private house hotel. Here, the Whatever Whenever ethos is put into practice whereby guests can choose to eat whatever they want whenever they want and wherever they want.

Extensive professional experience working in country house hotels has seen Matt develop a highly-assured style of cooking. His light, pared down take on the classics lays emphasis on seasonal ingredients of the best possible quality.

Matt was appointed as head chef of Glenapp Castle in south-west Scotland, where he won his first Michelin star and was awarded three AA rosettes. Following this, his next position was at Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter which gained its first Michelin star in 2009, only one year after Matt Weedon took over as head chef.

Andrew Grahame, CEO of Farncombe Estate commented: "This is a very exciting time for Farncombe Estate and I believe that with these new appointments and culinary developments across the hotels, we will put Farncombe Estate on the food map and ensure our food offering is a standalone reason to visit for our guests."

Following these developments, the next stage for Martin Burge and Farncombe Estate's executive head chef John Ingram will be working on the development of a new restaurant at the estate's other hotel - The Fish.

Picture caption:

Martin Burge (top); Sam Bowser (middle); Matt Weedon (bottom).