Nineteen-year-old Lilly Popplewell, from Kesgrave, and 23-year-old Saskia Stannard, from Ipswich, attend Suffolk New College and trained at the in-house restaurant Chefs’ Whites.
They were both given the opportunity to work at Tom Kerridge’s award-winning restaurants in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, after attending his Pub in the Park event.
The top chef is known for his appearances on various TV cookery programmes and for featuring in Marks and Spencer adverts.
At the event, the pair explained their future plans to Sarah Hayward, the head chef at Kerridge’s Michelin-star restaurant The Coach.
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Lilly Popplewell will be working at The Coach (Image: Suffolk New College) She was impressed by their stories and offered both of them jobs.Miss Popplewell, who will be working as a commis chef at The Coach, said: “The Tom Kerridge Group has been incredibly helpful and I am very excited by this opportunity. I’m really looking forward to it.
“I walked into this college course being so apprehensive but I’m glad I did it. I’ve enjoyed it, met so many people, made friends, and now I’ve been given this amazing opportunity.”
Miss Stannard was given the position of commis chef at The Hand and Flowers, a restaurant with two Michelin Stars.
She said: “I’m going to be working with Sarah Hayward, who won young Michelin chef of the year in 2023.
“I’m so excited, it doesn’t feel real. To work in a Michelin Star restaurant is a dream come true.”
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“They were put in touch with the Tom Kerridge Group, and I’m really proud of them. They have worked so hard, this is very well deserved and I wish them all the best.
“It shows you the standard of talent that Chefs’ Whites is able to produce. Our aim is to help all of our students get the job of their dreams and it’s my role as a lecturer to help them do this.”
