Gill Adds Amber to Birch

The rise and rise of young chef Amber Francis has gathered pace with a new appointment as head chef at The Zebra Riding Club at Birch in Hertfordshire.

The young chef is enjoying a promising career so far and fast becoming a leading light in young chef circles.

Chef Robin Gill, who runs The Zebra Riding Club restaurant, chose Francis to run the kitchen at the Birch community hotel. The restaurant, open to non-residents, uses the farm, woods and produce of the hotel surroundings throughout the year.

Francis has been working her way up the ranks in recent years having started out doing work experience at The Hand and Flowers and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. From there she went to The Ritz as an apprentice whilst studying for a diploma with The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (she won a distinction) before teaming up with Gill at The Dairy and later at Bermondsey Larder.

This is her first head chef role.