Tessa Bramley, Owner and Chef of The Old Vicarage for 30 years, continues to guide and influence her long-established kitchen team. The style is modern and innovative, full of unexpected flavour combinations, based on advanced professional technique yet always grounded in the traditional roots of classical cooking.
"The cooking bears comparison with the very best - complex, picturesque but at the same time solidly rooted in the seasons".
Sunday Express Magazine
Tessa has a clear understanding of how to coax every nuance of flavour from the ingredients she uses. Her work revolves around the garden - this is country cooking, properly grounded in nature and evocative of the seasons. All of the fresh produce used at The Old Vicarage is grown in the kitchen garden or comes from the nearby farms.
"Tessa is not just a good cook, she is in a state of complete union with her garden, and with the fields and woodlands that surround her home and provision her restaurant..." Kit Chapman, Great British Chefs
Tessa is a prolific writer and a frequent contributor to national magazines and periodicals. Her first book, "The Instinctive Cook", was published in 1995, followed by "A Taste of Tradition" , "Traditional Puddings" and currently "Perfect Puddings" and "Casseroles: Comfort Food at its Best"
Her current titles are published by Ryland, Peters and Small and have been translated for publication in five countries.
As a writer the style of recipe presentation is user-friendly and aimed at the keen amateur cook.
Tessa has presented TV shows for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, with appearances on "Here's One I Made Earlier", "Food and Drink" and "Masterchef", along with cooking slots on magazine programmes "Light Lunch" and "This Morning". She has made several TV series, on location as well as at The Old Vicarage.
She has worked as an independent consultant for major organisations including P&O Cruises, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's. Tessa frequently works for clients on location, demonstrating, filming, presenting for PR functions and speaking at corporate events.
Tessa stays current with all trends and keeps working with younger chefs in television. She recently cooked with James Martin on his regular "James Martin's Saturday Morning" show and appeared as a feature presenter in the latest "James Martin Islands to Highlands"
