Leaving school at 16, knowing that further education wasn’t a direction for me, I was gripped by the buzz of the kitchen so I set out on becoming the best chef I could. Passing through the ranks quickly I assumed my first Head Chef role in 2011. After five years at The Horn of Plenty and using that time to find my style, I moved across to The Gallery Restaurant at Boringdon Hall. I saw the potential of the hotel under the guidance of the team of Directors and I was excited by their ambition. Having a vision of what would make a great restaurant, the Directors gave me the opportunity to set the stage and make the vision of a destination restaurant a reality. From there, we have worked on building a great team and atmosphere where collaboration and creativity is encouraged. We have honest discussions and assess every detail of a dish to ensure it’s the best it can possibly be before it makes it onto the menu. From there we will constantly be refining dishes and questioning every element, there’s no such thing as the perfect dish as you can always push it that little further. That’s what keeps the whole team going and creating those memories for our guests with surprises along the way is really rewarding and keeps that passion alive.  

I’ve always wanted to cook from an early age and was fascinated by food and how it can be used to bring people together, make them smile, and create special memories. I started my career at the age of 14, I really got absorbed by the atmosphere at the Jack in the Green where I started as a kitchen porter. Six months later I was cooking. The kitchen always had such a buzz and excitement which was a great atmosphere to be in. I believe starting as a Kitchen Porter is the best place to start in kitchen life, it gives you the ability to see and appreciate every job role on the way up.

In 2023 Àclèaf was awarded its first MICHELIN Star with Scott Paton as Head Chef, leading the team to this achievement.

Scott Paton’s dreams and dedication have shaped the way for dining at Àclèaf, building his loyal team and allowing his culinary visions to go from concept to plate. 

 ‘In my 20 years of cooking it’s always been a goal to achieve a MICHELIN Star since those early days listening to chef’s stories about the pinnacle dining experiences, but, since joining Boringdon Hall and receiving the faith and trust from the Directors to launch Àclèaf, that goal became so much closer and in turn we pushed so much harder, not for the star, but for excellence. I’ve never worked with a team who kick themselves more or who ask so many questions about our why, so for that I'm so delighted for the team to get their recognition for that hard work.’