The Woodford

Former Young National Chef of the Year, Ben Murphy has his first restaurant, The Woodford, in South Woodford. Backed by established Essex-based restaurateur Steve Andrews, the 100 cover restaurant, located near the Essex border, spans two floors, with a dedicated oyster and seafood bar on the first floor.

Ben grew up in north west London and after completing his Professional Chef Diploma, went straight to work for the renowned Pierre Koffmann at the Berkeley, learning the basics of French cuisine. After three years, encouraged by Koffmann, Ben moved to France for two years to work at two, three Michelin-starred restaurants: Michel Guerard’s Les Pres d’Eugenie in south west France and Epicure at Le Bristol in Paris, working under Eric Fréchon. Whilst across the Channel, he won the Young National Chef of the Year title in 2013. During his time in the French capital, he was headhunted for BBC2 culinary programme Chefs on Trial.

With this wealth of experience at such a young age, Murphy now has the energy and drive to achieve great things. The critical acclaim garnered since opening The Woodford has taken the foodie world by surprise, after all this is 'just' a local restaurant near Essex... the future for Murphy is exciting and richly promising!!