Martin Burge

Martin graduated with distinctions from Brunel Technology College in Bristol and began his career at the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath with Michael Croft who was the head chef at the time. He followed Croft to London working at the renowned Mirabelle restaurant. His first taste of a Michelin star establishment was at Pied à Terre under the watchful eye of Richard Neat and the proprietor, David Moore. The opportunity to work with Raymond Blanc at ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons’ beckoned and Martin worked his way up to the position of Sous Chef. Martin then met John Burton-Race whilst working at ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons’ and eventually he went to work with Burton-Race at L’Ortolan as Senior Sous Chef where he was soon promoted to Head Chef at the age of 27. Burton-Race decided to uproot and move his restaurant to ‘The Landmark Hotel’, Marylebone, London. They successfully retained the accolades and achieved two Michelin stars in just one year.

In 2003 Martin left London to return to his west country roots where he became Head Chef for the opening of Whatley Manor in Wiltshire. Here he oversees both the fine dining restaurant – ‘The Dining Room’ and the brasserie, ‘Le Mazot’. Since the opening of Whatley Manor he has achieved numerous accolades, attaining his first Michelin star in January 2005. In September 2008 the AA awarded ‘The Dining Room’ four AA rosettes and in January 2009 Michelin awarded Burge a second star for his acclaimed cuisine. This was swiftly followed in June 2009 with the BMW Square Meal award for ‘Best Out of Town UK Restaurant 2009’ and in November of the same year The Independent voted Burge ‘Chef of the Year’. In August 2010 The Good Food Guide listed ‘The Dining Room’ in the top 20 restaurants in the UK with a score rating of 8 out of 10. TV Credits; Martin has participated in the semi-finals of ‘MasterChef; The Professionals’ 2010 and has appeared as a judge in the finals since 2008.