Amber Francis: Culinary Excellence at Wild Feasts, Oxmoor Farm
From The Hand and Flowers kitchen to the Buckinghamshire countryside, Amber Francis’s cooking has always turned heads. She tells Absolutely about awards, TV, and rustling up a feast outdoors.
Wild Feasts at Oxmoor Farm
Wild Feasts at Oxmoor Farm, the rural dinner party series set in the Chiltern Hills, will return for the 2024 season. Located within a renovated barn on a secluded plot of idyllic Buckinghamshire countryside, this year’s Wild Feasts will welcome 10 resident chefs throughout the year, including emerging talent and household names. Each chef will prepare a relaxed sharing banquet for two nights only and for 50 guests at a time. One name stands out for Absolutely: Amber Francis, who will cook on 10-11 August.
Amber Francis: A Journey of Culinary Mastery
Following her formative years of training at establishments including the Ritz and our very own The Hand and Flowers, Amber was most recently Head Chef at Maene and Robin Gill’s Zebra Riding Club. Amber has since moved on to being listed in Square Meal’s Ones To Watch list, Code Hospitality’s 30 Under 30, British Restaurant Awards Best Young Chef of The Year 2022, and competed in the 2023 series of Great British Menu.
Amber is now working with a state education secondary school in North London as Head Chef and Senior Food Educator. Absolutely sat down to discuss her career and why she’s looking forward to Wild Feasts.
Why Were You Keen to Be Involved in Wild Feasts?
“Wild Feasts offers such a unique opportunity to cook in a truly breathtaking environment, with some of the best produce that the UK has to offer. I love the fact that Wild Feasts leans towards fire-led and communal dining. What better way to spend a weekend than cooking awesome produce with great people, for great people?”
What Do You Make of the Oxmoor Farm Setting?
“Oxmoor Farm is just the most idyllic place to hold an event like this. I love rural Buckinghamshire and have an affinity to the British countryside, having grown up climbing hay bales in Somerset as a child.”
What Can We Expect on 10-11 August?
“My feast at Oxmoor Farm will showcase the best seasonal and local produce. We will be serving beautiful produce from Badger’s Farm alongside Darvill’s Hill Farm and Chiltern Cold Pressed.”
The Joy of Cooking Live
Do You Enjoy Cooking Where Diners Can See You Creating the Food?
“I love cooking at events where diners can see what is happening ‘behind the scenes.’ As a chef, you never take that connection with the guest for granted.”
Do You Think You Have a Set Style of Cooking?
“I definitely cook with the seasons, which I suppose has become my ‘style’. I trained in classical French cookery, but my approach nowadays is far lighter and fresher on the palate. I tend to pick the best produce I can and let that do the talking, using my skills only to enhance and complement what is already there.”
Championing Fresh Ingredients
What Kind of Ingredients Are You Championing Right Now?
“This year I have started growing a lot more in my garden, and I am chuffed with our herbs. I think they can be a really underrated ingredient that is used only as an afterthought. But fresh and zesty soft herbs or earthy, rich woody herbs often form a base of dishes when I am creating a menu, especially in my desserts, which tend to surprise guests.”
Amber’s Culinary Beginnings
Were You Always Interested in Cooking?
“I always loved cooking, but I never really saw it as a career until I was fortuitous enough to meet a local chef who had happened to do a stint working in the best restaurants in London. She really kindled my love for cooking and guided my first steps into stages in Michelin-starred kitchens from the age of 15.”
What Was Your First Professional Job in a Kitchen, and How Do You Look Back on That Time?
“I worked at The Ritz from the age of 18, but I was doing stages in Michelin-starred restaurants such as The Hand and Flowers and Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons from the age of 15. If we are going back that far, then I suppose I had also ought to confess to the fact that my very first job in a kitchen was in the local Wetherspoons! You know what, I learnt a lot there, consistency is key, whether you’re a national chain pub or a Michelin-starred restaurant.”
Insights from The Hand and Flowers
How Would You Sum Up the Experience at The Hand and Flowers?
“I adored my stage at The Hand and Flowers, so much so that I returned the following year to work with the team again. It has a real community feel to the restaurant that you don’t often see and Tom Kerridge remains someone that I look up to in the industry.”
Have You Taken Something from All the Chefs You Have Worked With in the Past?
“Every chef that I have worked with, whether executive chef or apprentice, has taught me something, even if that is what mistakes not to make! I learnt a huge amount by working under some big names early on in my career but learnt just as much from managing and training the more junior members of staff in my teams. Everyone has a unique skill set and experiences that they can bring to a restaurant, and there is no one way to cook.”
Recognitions and TV Appearances
How Did It Feel to Be Named British Restaurant Awards Young Chef of the Year?
“Honestly? It was a bit bewildering! I had no idea that I was actually in the running for the title. Yes, I was on the shortlist, but there were so many other talented chefs on that list that I was just enjoying the experience. Then my name was called and the rest was a bit of a blur!”
What Was the Experience of Competing on the Great British Menu Like?
“I adored being on the Great British Menu. It was one of the hardest competitions that I have done, but I learnt so much about myself and met some incredible people. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been involved in such a prestigious television show, one that I grew up watching after school.”
A Future in Education
Why Have You Turned Your Focus to Education?
“Fine dining and restaurant cooking is still a firm passion of mine, and I still regularly attend events such as Wild Feasts. I also have my own private chef and food consultancy business. However, I wanted to use the skills that I had garnered over the years to work with local communities and better education around food, particularly amongst young people in London. My current role aligns strongly with my moral compass and values and that is something that I am truly grateful for.”
What’s Next for You?
“Doing what I do best! Cooking in all sorts of different environments, at festivals, pop-ups, chef-led events and continuing to educate the next generation about food and cooking.”
For more information, visit Amber Francis and Oxmoor Farm.
