Member Info

Shaun Hill started cooking professionally at Robert Carrier’s restaurant in Islington in the late 1960s and has worked at the Gay Hussar in Soho and at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge.

More recently, he has been Head Chef at Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon for 9 years and for 10 years Chef Patron of the Merchant House Restaurant in Ludlow. He held a Michelin star for 30 years, was the AA Restaurant Guide’s Chef’s Chef of 2003. He won the trade’s version of an Oscar, The Caterer Chef Award for 1990 and its restaurateur award for 2001, also the Egon Ronay Guide Chef of the Year Award for 1993 and The Observer Food Monthly “outstanding achievement” award for 2015.

In December 2007 he reopened The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny.

Awards at The Walnut Tree:

  • 1 Michelin star
  • 3 AA rosettes – Best in Wales 2010
  • Restaurant Magazine National Restaurant Wwards – Best in Wales
  • Hardens Guide Best in Wales 2010

Books include:

  • The Gidleigh Park Cookery Book – with foreword by Ted Hughes 1989 – Ebury Press
  • Quick and Easy Vegetable Cookery 1993 BBC Books
  • Cooking at the Merchant House 2000 Conran Octopus
  • How to Cook Better 2004 Mitchell Beazley – The Guild of Food Writers Cookery Book of the Year for 2005
  • Salt is Essential – Kyle Books 2016
  • Archestratus – A life of luxury, translation and commentary (with prof J Wilkins) Prospect Books
  • Food in Ancient Times (with prof J.Wilkins) Blackwell
  • Cook’s Book(with many others) Dorling Kindersley