Top chef joins restaurant

A popular Shropshire restaurant is serving county diners with food fit for rock stars and royalty.

The staff at Saracens, in Hadnall, have been joined by David Spencer, former chef for the 11th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

During his career, Mr Spencer has been at the helm of the multi award-winning kitchens of the Swinton Park Hotel, in Masham, Yorkshire, and Crathorne Hall Hotel in Yarm, in the North East, after starting at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.

Mr Spencer has catered to the culinary whims of everyone from Noel Gallagher and the Sultan of Brunei to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Allison and Ben Christie, the owners of Saracens, said they were excited to have such an experienced leader on board. Allison added: "Saracens earned its first AA Rosette in October 2006, and we have been looking for the right chef to maintain those high standards and help us make our restaurant one of the best in the county."

David said: "I like being able to work directly with the people in charge and to motivate and inspire a tightly-knit, passionate team and achieve fantastic results."

He will also be overseeing the kitchen at the newly acquired Bear at Hodnet.