Member Info
My name is Amy Ward, originally from Exeter but now live in Watchet Somerset.
I went straight from school to study catering at The Michael Caines Academy at Exeter College in Devon, where I got to experience so many amazing places to work. Including having the opportunity to work at The Hand & Flowers for three weeks under Tom Kerridge.
In my third year at college I went from full-time to an apprenticeship at the Magdalen Chapter Hotel in Exeter. Focusing on using local ingredients in the best possible way, maximizing the flavour, creating a unique dining experience. From the support of college, I entered the Young South West Chef of the Year. I defiantly let the pressure get to me and made some silly mistakes but the experience was amazing and one I would like to do again.
This lead to the opportunity of working at Bovey Castle which holds 3AA rosettes. Here I learnt about attention to detail and the impact quality ingredients has on your food and standard of cooking.
I moved to Somerset and started working at a very different catering venue at Hinkley Point. Here I cooked for over 2000 people a day on a twenty-four-hour service. I learnt a lot more about developing into a management role and my ambition to develop as a chef.
My current role is Head Chef at Nettlecombe Court, which is a centre in the Field Studies Council group.
Over 150,000 children from all over the country visit our centres every year, where we teach them a variety of outdoor courses. These courses offer opportunities for people to engage with the outdoors for their benefit. These courses include nature and bush craft, geography and learning about the environment.
