Wallett’s Court is delighted to
announce the appointment of
new head chef, Michael Fowler
Heritage and hospitality have long
gone hand in hand at Wallett’s
Court Hotel and Restaurant. As
far back as 1270, the hotel gave
comfortable board and lodging
to Edward I on his way to France,
celebrated by a fresco in one of
the upper rooms. Fragments of
the fresco exist to this day.
A few centuries later, in 1975, Chris Oakley, trained by the Roux Brothers and then
working at The Savoy in London, bought the
near-derelict building and set about restoring
it with his wife Lea, giving it the care and
respect it deserved. Chris brought with him
his Michelin Star, turning Wallett’s into a
centre of gastronomy in East Kent. In the
past 40 years, Walletts has become a byword
Another century has rolled on and Chris,
now in his 70s, has found a worthy successor in the kitchen in Michael Fowler, while
remaining at Wallett’s as ‘Grand Master’
Chef. Michael grew up in Deal, but trained
under Marco-Pierre White at The Criterion
in Piccadilly and with Rick Stein in Padstow
“Marco was the kind of boss who could make
head chefs cry,” Michael recalls. “And he
did.” Working for such an exacting task-master has left Michael with a disciplined, precise
approach to his cooking. “Working with Rick
Stein was more relaxed, even though we were
doing 120 covers,” Michael says. “But we
were based right on the quay at Padstow, so
still kicking when we got it in the kitchen.”
His Padstow experience has left Michael with
an overriding respect for his ingredients:
“The main protein is still the star on the
plate,” he says. Like Chris Oakley before him,
Michael Fowler will be using the abundance
of local ingredients and suppliers around him.
Fish are landed minutes away in Deal and
Folkestone. Aberdeen Angus cattle graze secabundance of Kentish sheep in the shadows of
Dover Castle. Kent is, of course, the Garden
of England and there is a luscious array of
locally grown fruit and vegetables in every
direct