MasterChef winner joins hotel team

View from Dorchester
26 February 2014

A former MasterChef winner will be joining the team at The Casterbridge Hotel, Dorchester.

Mat Follas, who will be opening a restaurant at The Casterbridge Hotel, Dorchester

Mat Follas, MasterChef winner 2009, will be opening his new restaurant on Friday and Saturday evenings, starting on Friday, March 7th.

Mat’s new restaurant will take the award winning food from his former restaurant in Beaminster, The Wild Garlic, as its starting point. 

As chef at The Wild Garlic, Mat and his team were awarded two AA Rosettes for three years until it closed; were listed by The Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide; and were highly recommended in The Guardian and The Telegraph with scores of nine and a half and nine out of 10 respectively. 

Jasper Gerard of The Telegraph described The Wild Garlic as “sensational” and Matthew Norman of The Guardian said Mat is “an exceedingly rare talent”. Mat wrote an introduction for the AA restaurant guide for 2014, focusing on food trends and specifically foraged and wild ingredients, which are elements included in his dishes.

Mat said: “I’m delighted to be heading back to the kitchen, this time it’s just me cooking for a small restaurant, no partners or other people involved, it will only be open when I’m there. 

“The Casterbridge is a delightful, classic, small hotel with two wonderful dining spaces, a small dining room and a lovely conservatory area for guests to choose between. 

“My food will match the surroundings, with a more classic menu than I have done in the past, we will take the best of The Wild Garlic’s dishes as my inspiration and we will maintain a comfortable and relaxed dining experience.”

Melvin and Monica Curtis of The Casterbridge said: “We’re thrilled to have Mat cooking at our hotel. Dorchester has recently had an influx of chain restaurants and hotels and this is a great opportunity to balance that with a high end, bespoke offering, this provides great choice for Dorchester and surrounding area residents. 

“We know Mat will help bring tourist trade and interest from outside Dorset to Dorchester too.”

For more details visit www.matfollas.com.


To book a table at Mat Follas at The Casterbridge Phone: 01305 260884