A WINCHESTER restaurant where celebrities dine is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Rick Stein Winchester, a part of the Rick Stein Group, celebrated a decade of business on October 31 and thanked customers in a Facebook post.

The restaurant said: "Thank you to all those who have joined us over the years, from celebrating birthdays and anniversaries to wine dinners, masterclasses and supper clubs – it’s been our privilege to be part of your memories, and we can’t wait to raise a glass with you to many more."

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Rick Stein Winchester, which aims to 'bring the taste of Cornwall to Winchester', was the group's first to open outside of the west country county. The restaurant serves seafood and receives a Cornish catch delivered daily. 

The Chronicle spoke to assistant manager Ellie Grigg, 25, about the restaurant's success. She said: "I have been here for seven years and I've worked as a waiter, a senior waiter, a supervisor and an assistant manager.

"And that's been through COVID and everything as well, so I've seen a lot of changes in the restaurant, which has been really, really nice."

She added: "[Rick Stein] came in for lunch yesterday, he was here with Hugh Bonneville, which was awesome because I'd just seen Padstow the night before!

"The fact that he's still so involved and Jill Stein is still so involved and the care and the involvement they have with the company is one of the reasons why we have been so successful."

Rick Stein, who owns and runs the Rick Stein Group with his wife and sons, opened the Winchester restaurant in 2014 (Daily Echo)Ellie is part of the group's backbone of long-standing staff and chose to not go to university because of the opportunities the group gave her.

In her instance, the company paid for advanced wine qualifications which has allowed her to grow her passion for the beverage.

She said this, as well as a turnover of staff coming from local students, allows the company to be dynamic and consistent.

Ellie said: "I think it's good to have a mix. It's important to have people who have worked in the company for a long, who have good roots and know the company really well but, at the same time, you always want to have a fresh pair of eyes on things."

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Ellie Grigg, 25, assistant manager at Rick Stein Winchester(Image: Charles Elliman) The food always comes first and the assistant manager noted the restaurant's menu looks to innovate alongside a bedrock of customer favourites.

She said: "There's some stuff that's not going anywhere. We have our staples. So, the Indonesia Seafood Curry is our most popular dish -there would be uproar if that ever came off the menu and then we have, like, the Tubot Hollandaise, which is Rick's favourite dish."

The assistant manager also asserted, that despite the restaurant being part of a group, the central management is present and knows the team well.

"Even though we're four hours away from Cornwall, we don't feel disconnected and you don't just feel like you're a part of a chain, you feel like you're a part of the company."