Welsh chef makes comeback after closure of award-winning restaurant
Nation.Cymru Staff
A renowned Welsh chef whose award-winning restaurant closed after being defrauded of £150,000 is returning to the kitchen three years later in a new head chef role.
Stephen Terry, who trained as a chef at legendary restaurants including Marco Pierre White’s Harveys and Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche, earned his first Michelin star for The Canteen at the age of 25.
The Welsh chef went on to work in restaurants in London and the French Riviera, before opening The Walnut Tree, which won its first star in 2002, a year after opening.
It wasn’t until 2005 when he opened what arguably became his most iconic restaurant, The Hardwick, when he and wife Joanna took over the former Horse and Jockey pub on Old Raglan Road in Abergavenny.
Acting as ‘Chief crab whisperer‘, Terry saw the restaurant through 18 years of success, with reviews consistently praising its unpretentious feel and “blindingly good” food.
Terry also saw success in his career elsewhere, appearing on the Great British Menu and preparing a ‘Welsh banquet‘ for Nato leaders in 2014.
The Hardwick’s run came to an end eighteen years later, following the fallout from a £150,000 fraud committed by the restaurant’s former administrator.
Cardiff Crown Court heard in May 2023 that former administrator Nicola Nightingale had stolen £150,234.63 from the restaurant, while two loans of £40,000 each had also been taken out in Terry’s name without his permission. Her husband, Simon Nightingale, was convicted of possession of criminal property.
Terry described the fraud as “potentially devastating” to his business, took out subsequent loans to pay back suppliers, and the restaurant closed its doors in October 2023.
However, Stephen Terry is now returning to the kitchen at the luxury Welsh wedding venue Sant Ffraed House in what the Abergavenny location described as “no ordinary appointment”.
Announcing Terry’s appointment on their Instagram, they wrote: “It’s incredibly rare to find a chef of Stephen’s calibre leading the kitchen of a wedding venue. Michelin-starred pedigree, some of the most respected kitchens in British and European food and more than three decades at the very top of his game.
“Now, all of that is coming to your wedding day… His arrival marks a major new chapter for Sant Ffraed House, with brand new menus spanning traditional dining, feasting, street food and relaxed social styles.”
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Terry responded to the announcement, saying: “My approach has always been about great ingredients, proper cooking and big flavour, but I also love the freedom this gives us to think differently about wedding food.
“Whether that’s a beautifully executed traditional menu, generous feasting or something much more relaxed, the quality should always be exceptional.
“Weddings are some of the most memorable days of people’s lives, and the food should live up to that. I’m looking forward to working with the team and creating something really special for Sant Ffraed couples and their guests.”
Sant Ffraed House is a Grade II-listed country house and wedding venue set within a 14-acre estate in the Usk Valley, with on-site accommodation and a dedicated ceremony and reception space.
Oldwalls Collection, which also operates FairyHill near Rhossili Bay, said Terry joining the team was a “huge moment” for its plans to evolve its approach to wedding food, and that he would play a part in its wider strategy for the venue.
More information about Sant Ffraed House is available here. Follow Chef Stephen Terry on Instagram here.
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