An Evening with Ricki Weston and Tom Shepherd
Our second guest chef event for 2023 showcased another of Ricki’s former colleagues and good friend Tom Shepherd, Chef Proprietor of Restaurant Upstairs, Staffordshire’s only Michelin starred restaurant.
When Ricki made the call to invite Tom to cook at Whatley he readily agreed and the date was set for an evening with these two talented and inspiring Chef’s.
In the intervening weeks Tom appeared on The Great British Menu and his “Desperate Dan Cow Pie’ was the judges chosen dish for the banquet main course. Whilst it would have been great to showcase this during the evening at Whatley it wouldn’t really have had a place amongst the incredible dishes created by each chef for the evening. We were delighted however to that Tom included his very fabulous Banana dessert from the series, “Bananaman” Banana Mousse encased in silky chocolate.
Guests enjoyed an evening of exceptional food and the camaraderie between two of the UK’s most acclaimed chefs.
Tom Shepherd x Ricki Weston
26th July 2023
Crab Croustade, Bisque, grapefruit
Choux pastry, ‘cheese & onion’
Potato sfogliatelli, seabass, gherkin
Scallop, satay, radish and coriander – Tom Shepherd
Beef from the manor, lettuce, jasmine and cucumber – Ricki Weston
Suckling pork belly, asparagus, broad beans and peas – Tom Shepherd
Red Mullet, bouillabaisse, pomme, spring onion and caviar – Ricki Weston
53% chocolate, fermented raspberry, sweet woodruff – Ricki Weston
Banana – GBM – Tom Shepherd
Petit fours
Tom Shepherd, Chef Patron of Staffordshire’s first, and only One Michelin starred restaurant, Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, is located in the heart of the beautiful, traditional city of Lichfield.
The stunning restaurant sits above Tom’s father’s jewellery shop; City Jewellers, boasting a beautiful apex style ceiling and open kitchen,
Tom is from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, who’s previous experience has seen him work in some of the finest kitchens in the country, which include Restaurant Sat Bains, Michael Wignall at The Latymer and most recently, Adams in Birmingham. Tom also won a prestigious Acorn Award in 2018, and this year represented the central region on The Great British Menu, where his main course, “Desperate Dans Cow Pie” got to the final banquet.
The evening was captured by Daniel James Media – Click here to watch the video
Find out more Upstairs by Tom Shepherd
