Five minutes with… Matt Weedon

The head chef at the Cotswolds gourmet bolthole The Feathered Nest Inn is committed to quality seasonal ingredients, bought daily and treated with respect

Food and Drink 25 Mar 2022

Chef Matt Weedon
The Feathered Nest in Nether Westcote in the Cotswolds

What can diners expect from The Feathered Nest?

Diners can expect something for everyone at The Feathered Nest – from a tasting menu or bar snacks to two or three courses with dishes made using locally sourced ingredients. Great cocktails, wines, beers and great service.

How have you transformed the menu since taking over at The Feathered Nest?

I’ve simply put my own stamp on the menu – refining dishes old and new with some tasty snacks and a great burger, for example.

The menu at The Feathered Nest is made from seasonal, local ingredients
The menu at The Feathered Nest is made from seasonal, local ingredients

Do you have any signature dishes and if so, what are they?

Signature dishes? Not really, we try to have a small menu of great dishes.

The past two years have been particularly hard for restaurateurs. What have you learned?

The past two years really galvanised us as a team. The Feathered Nest has had to adapt to outside dining, offering takeaway and limited covers for inside dining, so we have taken the same approach across the board to offer the best product at each opportunity.

What ingredient can you not live without?

Bacon.

Award-winning food at The Feathered Nest, which has three AA Rosettes
Award-winning food at The Feathered Nest, which has three AA Rosettes

Who is your role model and why?

I would say it has always been Raymond Blanc. A proper legend.

What are your biggest passions outside of food and drink?

Football, guitars and music. 

What is your favourite restaurant in the world and why?

The French Laundry in Yountville, California – absolutely faultless.

Who, living or dead, would you most like to invite for dinner at The Feathered Nest and what would you serve them?

Sir Winston Churchill and my grandfather. They would eat beef Wellington with a big bordeaux followed by coffee and Cohiba [cigars] on the terrace and discuss Tobruk and how the war was won.

Matt Weedon has earned multiple culinary accolades during his career. He previously worked at Glenapp Castle, where he won his first Michelin star, was awarded three AA Rosettes and was at the helm when it was named Scotland Restaurant of the Year by The Good Food Guide. He also worked at Lords of the Manor in Cheltenham.

thefeatherednestinn.co.uk