Emily Watkins

Emily started her professional life in an office but soon moved to Italy to learn to cook. She worked for three years at Ristorante Beccofino in Florence where she became both junior sous chef and fluent in Italian.

Returning to the UK Emily worked as chef de partie at The Fat Duck in Bray and later as a private chef in London before opening The Kingham Plough in 2007 alongside her husband and business partner, Miles Lampson.

The Kingham Plough has won many accolades including a prestigious Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide for three years running, two AA Rosettes, the Cotswolds Life ‘Dining Pub of The Year’ award twice, and The Good Pub Guide ‘Country Dining Pub of The Year’.

A returning GBM chef, this year’s brief has special personal resonance as both Emily’s grandparents were involved in the war. Commander Robin Watkins, her father’s father, worked in the War Office and helped plan D-Day whilst Nigel Gray, on her mother’s side, served on HMS Valliant before being held as a prisoner of war.