Award-winning chef Antony Worrall Thompson has run several highly successful restaurants and is a well-known TV personality. He began his culinary career at various restaurants in and around Essex, much to the horror of his grandmother who refused to write to him because she could not bring herself to write Essex on the envelope.
In 1981 he opened his first restaurant, Ménage à Trois in Knightsbridge. He went on to launch Wiz and Woz in West London, the Notting Grill in Holland Park and Kew Grill, in Richmond, and Barnes Grill in Barnes, SW13, which specialise in organic meat, fish and vegetables. Antony has two pubs, The Greyhound Freehouse and Grill in Rotherfield Peppard and The Lamb Bar and Kitchen at Satwell, both near Henley on Thames. Added to this group is of course his latest restaurant; Windsor Grill in Berkshire.
In March 1988 he won the Mouton Rothschild Menu Competition, and shortly before in December 1987 the most prestigious accolade: the Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne (MOGB), which is the Academy of Culinary Arts competition, held every four years, to find the most talented chefs in the country. He is one of only seven chefs in the UK to have won the Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne (MOGB), a lifelong title that's considered the chef’s Oscar.
In 1998 Antony became resident studio chef and main presenter for BBC2’s Food & Drink programme. He was a Ready Steady Cook regular and filmed several of his own series for Carlton Food Network. In 2003 he was appointed presenter of BBC1’s hugely popular, Saturday Kitchen until May 2006. In May 2006 he left BBC, after 14 years, to host the live cookery programme Saturday Cooks! on ITV1. He also presents Daily Cooks! on the same channel as well as that seasonal spectacular, Christmas Cooks. Antony emerged from the jungle in 2003 as one of the nation’s favourite celebrities in the ITV series I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
He is increasingly in demand by broadcasters to comment on serious food issues such as diabetes, obesity, nutrition and the eating habits of children.
He regularly does live cookery demonstrations at shows around the country including BBC Good Food Show, Harrods, Ideal Home, the Royal Show, The Restaurant Show, the Dublin Food Show and British Business Forum in Oman, Good Food and Wine Show in Cape Town. He fronts the ‘Taste’ shows which include London, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh and Bath.
He is passionate about organic farming and sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible. Seasonality is key to the food that Antony wants served in his restaurants. He and his wife Jay, their two young children, and a brood of animals, live in their new house near Henley on Thames. They also have their organic smallholding, where they raise their own Middle white pigs and chickens as well as fruit and veg for the restaurants; near the river. Antony has an avocado farm in Spain where they retreat when they have time.