James Golding - Head Chef Biography

The Savoy Hotel first employed James while still just a student on the Specialised Chef course. Within 3 years he had completed all sections at the Savoy and had a firm grasp of Classical French cooking.  It was at this time Chris Corbin and Jeremy King were beginning to attain legendary status for the sophisticated elegance of Caprice Holdings; Le Caprice (1981), The Ivy (1990), and J Sheekey (1997).  In 1998 James was offered Demi Chef de Partie at Le Caprice working under Mark Hix and later Elliot Ketley.

It was during the next 7 years James’s love for British seasonal produce began to present.  Truffles, foie gras and caviar were happily exchanged with elvers, lamb’s kidneys, Dorset cockles and snipe.  James stayed at Le Caprice until 2001 when head chef Tim Hughes offered him a new position at the seafood restaurant J Sheekeys. Elliot Ketley placed James in charge of the 6th floor restaurant at Soho House New York.  It was his experiences in America that finely tempered his Modern British style of cuisine.

In 2006 James returned to his home on the south coast as both a seasoned chef and new father. James’s work began to take on inspiration from the region and its unique produce from both forest and sea. Through his work as head chef at Harbour Heights he has worked to raise interest in where his food comes from and how it tastes. He has done this through working closely with the New Forest Marque, Direct from Dorset and the AA.  Through his new relationship with The Pig he can achieve and deliver his vision with respect to the environment, to taste and to animal welfare.