From an early age Matt Whitfield seemed destined to become a chef, despite having periods of uncertainty as to whether it was the career for him. ‘I always had an interest in it even though no one in my family was a chef,’ he explains, ‘but I went through a phase of thinking I didn’t want to be one because of the long hours. Eventually I went to a careers advisor and they said I was best suited to being a chef. I thought fair enough! And decided to pursue it.’

Attending culinary college in Eastleigh, Matt quickly began to thrive in the kitchen, impressing his chef lecturers and winning awards, and at eighteen he started to work professionally as a chef for the first time.

The first few years of his career saw Matt land a job at The Montagu Arms as a pastry chef, as well as working for Marco Pierre White at The Yew Tree in Highclere, where he developed skills that would prove useful down the line.

‘The Yew Tree was a real eye opener for me,’ says Matt. ‘It was high paced but we did stuff there that you don’t see as much anymore like whole animal butchery, which was great. Today I still get in whole animals to show the guys how to do it.’

Matt soon started dreaming of working in a Michelin-starred restaurant but didn't initially have the confidence to make the step up. ‘I was definitely good enough but I would just make loads of excuses at the start of my career.’

Matt's opportunity eventually arrived in 2009, when he returned to The Montagu Arms, which had by that point earned a Michelin star under chef Matthew Tomkinson. Over the following four years, he worked his way up to junior sous chef before moving to Brussels to join the two-Michelin-starred Sea Grill, where he was quickly promoted to sous chef.

‘Everything was quite hard work there,’ says Matt. ‘I'm not sure I was ready for it at the time but it was a great experience and I learnt a lot from it.’

A position at another Michelin-starred restaurant soon followed, this time at Cornwall's Driftwood Hotel, where after a year Matt became head chef for the first time in his career. In the back of his mind, however, he always had a nagging urge to up sticks and work in New York.

‘Throughout my career I’d known people who’d gone there and while I was at The Driftwood, we visited and ate at Eleven Madison Park. It changed my perspective on what a restaurant should be. It wasn’t just about the food anymore; it was about the experience and they could literally change people’s lives with that experience.’

Making it his mission to work at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Matt persistently sent applications until he was invited for an interview. After impressing Daniel Humm's executive sous chef with a potato dish of his own creation, he was offered a one-year contract.

Joining as a commis chef, Matt quickly progressed through the kitchen, working across different sections but taking a particular shine to the meat roast.

‘You had to move really quick there,’ he explains. ‘They’d give you six hours of work and four to do it in, but I got on really well with it. It was just an incredible feeling to be stood there cooking the famous duck that the restaurant’s known for, knowing that people around the world are looking at their books and Instagram. I was humbled to be a part of it.’

Having impressed the Eleven Madison Park team, Matt was offered the chance to stay for a further three years. Ultimately, however, he decided it was time to start cooking his own food, and when the opportunity arose to return to The Montagu Arms to oversee the kitchen, he didn't have to think twice.

In January 2019, over twelve years after Matt first set foot in its kitchen, he took over as head chef at The Terrace, The Montagu Arms' main restaurant. However, after so many years working in other kitchens, it took time for him to find his own style.

‘For the first six months or so, I was doing food that was very influenced by where I’d worked,’ he explains. ‘I was still proud of it but I was definitely showcasing stuff that I’d learnt elsewhere. But over time I’ve really taken a step back and tried to think about the food here and what’s important for me.’

Matt ultimately realised that championing the area's exceptional produce, such as the New Forest's famous pannage pork, was what he wanted his cooking to be about. He pared down his dishes, allowing each ingredient on the plate to shine.

‘We really believed in all the amazing local produce,’ he adds. ‘We treated everything with the utmost respect and it seemed to go down really well with the guests.’

Matt left The Montagu Arms in 2022 to take up the position of executive chef at Kimbridge Barn near Romsey. This marked a slight departure from the fine dining kitchens he had grown accustomed to, with the opportunity to cater for a variety of events, including weddings, serving everything from pizza to food cooked over a fire pit.

He was later promoted to group executive chef for Ideal Collection, overseeing menus at venues including Kimbridge Barn, Boat House Chichester Marina, The Bugle in Hamble and The White Horse at Otterbourne.

The role allowed Matt to combine his fine dining experience with a more relaxed, versatile approach to cooking, while continuing to champion Hampshire's producers and seasonal ingredients.

Building on his experience in Michelin-starred restaurants, hospitality groups and large-scale events, Matt has since launched his own catering business, Whitfield – Unique, Intentional, Bespoke Dining.

The venture brings together the different sides of his career, offering everything from intimate private dinners to fire pit cooking and weddings, with menus and experiences tailored to each occasion.

After years spent refining his skills in some of the world's most demanding kitchens, Whitfield marks an exciting new chapter for Matt, giving him the opportunity to bring his own style of cooking and hospitality directly to guests in a more personal setting.