For Thomas Burton, the key to being a good chef is communication – working closely with suppliers, his dedicated team strives to give customers the best possible experience. Thomas is passionate about cooking as a creative outlet, demonstrating ingenuity in everything from the menu to the presentation of each individual dish. His love of cooking was first inspired by his father, from whom he was first taught to cook fresh home made meals. This interest developed as a teenager but it wasn’t until he finished university that he decided he wanted to become a professional chef. Training on the job, he spent much of his own time watching and reading about cooking as possible. He describes his cuisine as modern bistro dining with a mixture of British, Spanish and Northern European influences. He believes in using produce from trusted local suppliers, a task which is aided by the abundance of good farms and butchers in Derbyshire. That said, Thomas advocates cooking with care and passion, enjoying most the ability to be creative in menu and dish development. One of his favourite aspects of his job is receiving positive feedback from happy customers, so be sure to go up and speak to him at our open pass in our kitchen upstairs!

Daniel knew he wanted to be a chef from the age of 13 when he first walked into the kitchen! His culinary career began as a Kitchen Porter & when he finished school, he went straight to catering college at New College Nottingham and completed a 3 year diploma! From there his career developed at the Wollaton Pub and Kitchen starting as Commis Chef and within 6 years rising through the ranks to Sous Chef! Daniel likes to play on classic dishes and put his own twist on them, as well as inventing his own dishes and taking inspiration from books to develop his menus! He is a huge fan of local produce and loves working with local suppliers, so he knows he’s getting the best ingredients for his dishes! Daniel began working with us as Senior Sous Chef in October 2018 and is now taking on the challenge of working as joint Head Chef at The Palfrey alongside existing Head Chef Thomas Burton, to form a formidable duo and progress the tasting experience at The Palfrey.