Agnar Sverrisson was not a boy who dreamed of cooking – he took up his first position as a chef in 1992 'just to try to be something'. However White Heat – Marco Pierre White’s seminal book – was an early inspiration and he says reading about White’s cooking and passion 'literally changed my life'. His first head chef job came in 1998 at the Grill Room in Reykjavík, but realising that career progression as a chef meant leaving Iceland, he set off for the UK.

Still an ardent admirer of White, he ate as often as he could in both The Oak Room and Marco’s Restaurant, trying unsuccessfully for two years to gain a position under the chef. Instead he began work at Mosimann’s in Westminster, followed by a spell at Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia under Tom Aikens and a short time at Gordon Ramsay’s Pétrus, under Marcus Wareing. A year living in Luxembourg followed, working as sous chef to Lea Linster – the only woman to have won the Bocuse D’or – at her eponymous restaurant.

His most significant professional training came in 2002, in his role as junior sous chef at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, working under executive head chef Gary Jones and owner Raymond Blanc. His first two years there were extremely challenging but Agnar (or 'Aggi', to his friends) rose quickly, an especially tough job in a kitchen of forty-two chefs. He was always asking questions and pushing himself, something Raymond admired. His time at Le Manoir taught him about seasonal produce, freshness and the clean, pure, precise flavours his food is famous for.

After two years at Le Manoir, Agnar was offered the head chef position – an opportunity he was reluctant to take, as he already had plans for his own restaurant firmly in mind. But he knew it would open many doors, so he accepted. As he worked on his own plans, Raymond and Gary were with him every step of the way – both became mentors, offering support, flexibility, introducing investors and even multiple revisions of his business plan.