Who is Nathan Outlaw? Michelin starred ‘King of Fish’ whose Cornish restaurant The Nathan Outlaw is the best in the UK
The renowned Fish chef will appear as a guest judge on tonight's Masterchef.
NATHAN Outlaw is a Cornwall-based Michelin starred chef who has worked with celebrity chefs Rick Stein and Gary Rhodes.
He previously competed in BBC's Great British Menu, and later returned as a guest judge - but just how did he get to become "King of Fish"?
Who is Nathan Outlaw and how did he become a chef?
Born in Maidstone, Kent in 1978, Nathan grew up with his parents and younger brother.
He was familiar working kitchens from a young age as his father was a chef. Nathan started his career at the age of 14 working for his father in an industrial catering kitchen.
He attended Thanet Catering College in Broadstairs and moved to London to gain more experience in five-star hotel kitchens, also working for renowned chefs Gary Rhodes and Eric Chavot.
When he was 20 Nathan moved to Cornwall, and his passion for seafood was ignited when he began working with Rick Stein at his famous The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.
It was at Rick Stein's that Nathan met his future wife Rachel, who worked front of house.
Deciding he wanted to move into fine dining, Nathan went on to work at the two Michelin starred restaurant, Lords of the Manor, with head chef John Campbell.
Here he learned the attention to detail required to gain Michelin stars, and the business side of running an award-winning restaurant.
Nathan took over his first restaurant in 2003 just prior to the birth of his first child - he and Rachel have two children together, Jacob and Jessica.
Always looking for inspiration, Nathan is an avid collector of cookbooks - his bookshelves hold around 400 of them.
The King of Seafood's passion comes from the location of most of his restaurants - wherever possible he will source his fish directly from local fishermen, guided by the season and sustainability of the environment.
What restaurants does Nathan Outlaw run and how many Michelin stars does he have?
Nathan's first head chef job at The Black Pig in Rock, North Cornwall saw him win his first Michelin star at the age of just 25.
He moved on to St Ervan Manor, earning himself a further star before the owners decided to close the restaurant and move away.
In 2006 Nathan took over the kitchen at The Marina Hotel in Fowey with the proviso that his name appeared above the restaurant door, and he was awarded "Rising Two Stars" by Michelin within the first year of opening.
He went on to form Nathan Outlaw Restaurants Ltd and opened a fine dining restaurant offering just one set tasting menu composed almost entirely of Cornish seafood.
His career has gone from strength to strength and Outlaws group now includes:
- Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac, Cornwall - Two Michelin stars
- Outlaw's Fish Kitchen in Port Isaac - One Michelin star
- Outlaw's at the Capital Hotel, London - One Michelin star
- The Mariners Rock public house, Rock, Cornwall
- Nathan Outlaw at Al Mahara, the Burj Al Arab, Dubai
On August 16 2017, Nathan's Cornish eatery was named the UK's best restaurant - knocking Cumbria's L'Enclume off the top spot.
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw first entered The Good Food Guide's top 10 in 2010.
Nathan said: "To hear that Restaurant Nathan Outlaw has made it to No 1 is phenomenal.
"I'd say the award has come due to the hard work and dedication of our team who have now been working together for a decade.
"It just goes to show that if you stay true to yourself, get your head down, look after your customers and use the very best ingredients available to you, you'll make it to the top."
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What TV shows has Nathan Outlaw appeared on?
Back in 2009, Nathan competed on Great British Menu, where he lost out in the heats to Shaun Rankin.
He returned in 2010 and 2012, both times going through to the semi-finals, and was a guest judge in this year's show.
A popular chef, Nathan is a regular on MasterChef, Saturday Kitchen and Market Kitchen and has also written three cookbooks.
On March 28, 2018 he will appear as a guest judge on Masterchef, setting a challenge for the contestants in which they must cook a dish using his favourite ingredients.