He's the top chef serving up fine food at one of the award-winning restaurants within luxury rural Hampshire hotel Heckfield Place. Owen Seamark, head chef at open fire restaurant Hearth, talks Michelin stars and crisp sandwiches in our meet the chef column. What was the first meal you cooked for someone else? "I remember being 12 or 13 and making a curry from leftover roast lamb.
It was a confusing mix of every spice in the cupboard, an unhealthy amount of garlic and tomatoes. Like all good parents, mine ate it all, with a forced smile and probably unjustified praise." Tell us a bit about your career so far.
..? "I spent the early years of my career working in a few 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants across London and Marlow before settling here in Hampshire and in Heckfield Place, where I have been for the last five years, progressing to head chef of Hearth restaurant in December.
" (Image: Heckfield Place) What is your proudest career moment to date? "Working at a restaurant in Mayfair called Maze. The first busy service, without mistakes and feeling like a competent part of the team at 17/18 years old, was a great feeling." What is your signature dish? "A tarte tatin cooked in the wood fired oven.
" (Image: Heckfield Place) What is your favourite dish currently on your menu? "A braised pork cheek dish. It's hearty but refined and exactly what I want to be eating on a cold autumn evening." Where is your favourite place to eat in Hampshire? "Not a restaurant, but somewhere I do.