Teenaged chefs aim high after taking over The Greyhound kitchen in Botesdale

A teenager in charge of a Botesdale pub kitchen says young people have a shot at any job if they prove their worth, as the pub’s youthful management team strives to make it bigger and better.

Head chef Conor Fairbrother, 18, recently took control of food prep after rising through the ranks at The Greyhound, which is now run by 23-year-old John Pasque, believed to be one of East Anglia’s youngest current pub leaseholders.

Conor, who lives above the pub on The Street, said he started helping out in the kitchen four years ago having never had any formal cooking training, and instead learnt on the job from the pub’s former chef, Chris Burnard.

He told the Diss Express: “In my opinion, you can have any job if you really try to prove yourself. If you work hard at it, somebody is going to notice. Chris saw my potential and he trained me up.”

Despite the kitchen usually having no more than three staff at once, the pub now manages to serve around 150 orders per week on average, and as many as 70 in one night during its busiest periods.

Conor’s sous chef Haydn Thomas, who is only 17, followed a similar progression since beginning as the kitchen pot washer, and Conor claims developing their culinary skills in this way had been the best preparation for their new senior roles.

“It’s important to be flexible,” he said.

“I think at formal cooking schools, you’re only taught to do things the ‘right’ way, and some people might not like that. If you are used to improvising on the spot, there’s not much that can faze you.

“It’s certainly not been easy and there’s been a few teething problems here and there, but we always get everything done.

He added: “Going forward, I hope we can keep getting better and I hope we can build a bit of reputation for ourselves.”

For more information about The Greyhound pub, call 01379 898003 or visit www.greyhoundbotesdale.co.uk