Adam Byatt
Adam Byatt
Adam Byatt is a creative and accomplished Michelin-starred chef with a passion for British food. Starting his career aged sixteen, Adam has earned a reputation for honest cooking designed to showcase the very best local produce
Raised in Rainham, Essex, Adam Byatt was born into a family of food lovers, with a professionally trained chef for a mother and an army cook for a grandfather. Always proud of his working class roots, Adam was instilled with a love of food but also an appreciation for the value of hard work. Three days before his sixteenth birthday, Adam won a prestigious apprentice chef placement at Claridge’s from the Savoy Educational Trust. Inside the vast Claridge’s kitchen, Adam began the classical training that would serve as a foundation for his career.
After a period at the Berkeley Hotel, Adam began a prosperous tenure with ‘chef’s chef’ Phil Howard at The Square in Mayfair. Impressing with his penchant for hard work and clear cooking talent, Adam was appointed sous chef, helping the restaurant earn its second Michelin star in 1998. From there, Phil Howard again showed his confidence in Adam, appointing him head chef of The Worx – a contemporary restaurant set up inside a photographic studio in Fulham. Keen to start his own venture, Adam briefly opened a small chain of successful juice bars, before the itch to return to the kitchen proved too strong.
In 2001 Adam identified Clapham as the perfect area to open Thyme, his first privately owned restaurant. An immediate hit, Thyme finally brought Adam the praise he had long deserved, winning a landslide of awards including Time Out Restaurant of the Year 2003 and Best Newcomer at the Tatler Restaurant Awards 2003. With his reputation cast as one of London's most talented chefs, Thyme’s success soon attracted the attention of other businesses. Aged just twenty-nine, Adam accepted an exciting offer to move Thyme to The Hospital Club’s members-only establishment in Covent Garden. A lack of footfall and unforeseen construction costs led to reduced revenue, however, and the eventual closing of Thyme.
Determined to learn from this setback, Adam returned to his beloved Clapham and opened Trinity in 2006 with his business partner Angus Jones. The restaurant serves seasonal, imaginative food, bursting with vibrant colours which represented the very best of Adam’s talent. Dishes such as Breast of goose with cranberries and celeriac, Barbecued black bream with fennel and lemongrass and Grilled razor clams with chilli, fennel and thyme showcase Adam’s commitment to using the finest British produce at his disposal.
Trinity now holds a Michelin star (since 2016), three AA rosettes and numerous other accolades. Voted in the top ten restaurants in London by both Hardens and Zagat in 2010 and 2011, it has also been included in The Times’ Top 100 Restaurants in the UK. Giles Coren – a critic not known to give praise without very good reason – said Trinity was ‘as close to an absolutely perfect experience eating out as it is possible to have’.
In 2012, Adam realised a long-held dream and opened Bistro Union, a neighbourhood bistro serving quintessentially British dishes in a relaxed environment. A homage to Adam’s nostalgic memories from his childhood in Essex, typical Bistro Union dishes include Beef and onion cottage pie and Turkey stuffed tomatoes. Never one to slow down, 2015 saw Adam overlook a major refurbishment of Trinity and the launch of a new upstairs dining room. Visitors to the restaurant can now head upstairs for a more casual dining environment, with live music and a menu featuring small dishes that change daily. In 2019, he also took over the food at classic hotel Brown's in Mayfair with his Charlie's concept.
Adam’s enthusiasm for seasonality and the great outdoors (when not in the kitchen he loves to hunt and fish) is matched by his desire to give back to the community. He has worked for many charities including DEBRA and Action Against Hunger and travels to numerous culinary schools and colleges to give talks on careers in the hospitality industry. Adam’s career also went full circle when he became a mentor for the same scholarship program that started it all, with his apprentice placement at Claridge's.
Three things you should know
Adam hates okra and marrow, but he loves good quality anchovies.
Before starting at Claridge's at the age of sixteen, Adam had already had two paper rounds, a milk round and a job at Primark.
Before he started his career as a chef, Adam was a sponsored skateboarder.
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