Michelin-starred Staffordshire chef Tom Shepherd treated kitchen talent to a live demonstration and culinary masterclass at pub company’s celebratory event.
The owner of Lichfield’s Upstairs restaurant was on hand at an inaugural Top Chef event hosted by Marston’s.
Nine outstanding chefs from across the country were invited to the event, recognised for delivering exceptional food sales performance and guest reputation scores for food quality, alongside demonstrating operational excellence, through maintaining the highest standards of health and safety and allergen management in their kitchens.
Chefs included two from Staffordshire – Tom Winter-Nolan from The Inkwell, in Lichfield, and Mark Malin from Cannock’s The Newhall Farm.
The nine recreated Tom’s ‘No Ordinary Schoolboy’ dessert from his 2023 appearance on The Great British Menu.
Tom said: “It was such an honour to meet Marston’s Top Chefs of 2025. Each of them impressed me with their levels of passion and culinary excellence, all delivering exceptional executions of my ‘No Ordinary Boy’ dish.
“It was not only an inspiring day but also a joy to hear their stories and commitment to making the Marston’s experience the very best it can be.”
Earlier this year, Marston’s partnered with Tom to create the Best Ever Pub Pie, inspired by his banquet-winning Desperate Dan’s Cow Pie from the BBC television show.
The Best Ever Pub Pie enjoyed a sell-out run in over 100 Marston’s Signature pubs – first in April and again this autumn – selling more than 52,000 pies during the length of the campaign.
