Luke Bryant, the head chef of The Clockspire in Sherborne may be just 23, but he has a fire in his belly that makes him one to watch, says Abi Manning
It’s infectious, witnessing someone utterly fired up by their craft. And Luke Bryant, head chef at The Clockspire in Sherborne, is positively aflame.
He joined the restaurant when it first opened in late 2019. Just 16 at the time, he took on a part-time commis chef role while studying at the Michael Caines Academy.
‘In my first year, we had the Eat Out to Help Out scheme during the pandemic. We did 70 covers for lunch, 70 for dinner, and I got thrown on the larder section and given a list of things to do. I had moments thinking What on earth am I doing here?, but I pushed through and I’m glad I did.’
After finishing college, Luke rose swiftly through the ranks, eventually landing the position of head chef in 2024.
Family affair
Foodie threads run through Luke’s family.
‘My dad was a chef, my great-grandfather, a chef in the Navy, and my Bampy [Luke’s maternal grandfather] an award-winning cheddar cheese maker.
‘When I was very young, I stayed with my grandparents while my parents were working. We’d wake at 4am, feed the cows, then I’d watch him [Bampy] turn and compress the cheeses, and we’d taste the cheddars in this huge warehouse. I’d also bake a lot with my Nana. That’s where it all started.’
Menu crafting
Luke’s own food journey is one of creativity and imagination.
‘I’m constantly thinking about food, what the next menu will be and the season that’s coming up.
‘When I’m creating a menu, I jot down everything that’s in season and everything I can get my hands on, then drive home in complete silence: no music, no podcast, nothing. I think about what will go together and then the next day a menu will pop out of thin air. It’s not forced at all; it’s a bit supernatural. Everyone laughs at me for it. It’s a bit of a psychopath manoeuvre I think, driving home in silence for 35 minutes.’
The team plays a big part in his creativity, too.
‘In the quieter parts of the day, we’ll sit down and talk about a dish or an idea. After a couple of days, I’ll take it to David [Hill, general manager]. He’s a well-seasoned foodie and has travelled a lot. If it’s a yes, it’s a yes. If it’s a no, we go back to the drawing board.
‘I try to bring him at least one or two things he’s never seen or heard of before per menu change. If he says, “Wow, what’s this?” I know I’ve scored points and made a good menu.’
Spring in the air
The Clockspire’s owners – Mike Fisher, founder of Studio Indigo, and Charles Allen, Baron Allen of Kensington – also own nearby Grade I-listed Ven House. Its estate provides an abundance of ingredients for The Clockspire’s kitchen.
‘They have a garden where we grow things; it has berry cages and apple, pear and quince trees – to name a few.
‘My favourite ingredient in spring is wild garlic. You can walk through fields on the estate and there’s wild garlic absolutely everywhere, so that’s always on our spring menu. We also pickle it to preserve it for later in the year.
‘The menu gets brighter in spring, moving from heavy roasting and darker meats and fruits to brighter greens and different ways of cooking, like poaching.’
Other spring ingredients not grown on the estate are sourced from local growers and suppliers, such as New Forest asparagus and British lamb from the Blackmore Vale Butchery.
‘One of my chefs is the son of one of its butchers. So, from start to finish, the meat is prepped by one family: butchered by the father and cooked by the son.
Bucking the trend
At 23, Luke is, surprisingly, one of the oldest members of staff in his kitchen.
‘They’re a very young, motivated and hungry team who want to learn, and bounce off each other.’
So does this group of gen Z chefs follow food trends or tread their own path?
‘If I see something online that looks interesting, I’ll give it a go and then teach the team. We won’t follow a trend exactly but might incorporate it into a recipe. Trends are hard to follow because they’re changing constantly, so you have to make your own.’
A nod to Nana
We all know the pleasure of eating a meal that evokes a comforting sense of nostalgia yet also surprises and delights with modern twists. This is the feeling Luke hopes to inspire in guests who experience his dishes at The Clockspire.
‘Some might see it as cliché, but I think it’s what people are looking for: understandable food done extremely well and with the chef’s twist.’
Luke reaches into the past – and specifically to his familial foodie roots – for further culinary inspiration.
‘My first dish at The Clockspire was inspired by my time living with my grandparents, when my Nana made me a cheese and onion crisp sandwich for lunch every day.
‘I created a Barber’s Cheddar savoury custard, which I blowtorched so it had a toasty flavour. Then I used mandoline-cut potatoes for the crisps and made tapioca prawn crackers, dusting both with burnt-onion powder and cheese powder. I added barbecued pickled onions and leek oil for vibrancy and some burnt-onion puree too. It was a little nod to my Nana.’
Nostalgia may be the spark, but ambition is the flame – and Luke Bryant is cooking with both.
