About
Raised in Devon, England, Merlin worked in Michelin starred restaurants all over the world before becoming sous chef to Kobe Desramaults at legendary restaurant 'In de Wulf' in rural Belgium. While Merlin was there, In de Wulf was voted 'Best restaurant in Europe' by OAD and also featured on numerous 'world's best restaurant' lists.
In 2014 Merlin moved back to the UK to launch 'Portland' restaurant to great critical acclaim, earning the restaurant a Michelin star within 9 months of opening at the age of 24. A year later he launched 'Clipstone', a neighbourhood restaurant in Fitzrovia which won the title of 'restaurant of the year' at the GQ awards as well as numerous 5 star reviews from critics such as AA Gill, Tom Parker Bowles and Jay Rayner.
In 2018 Merlin devoted his year to working with charities such as Help Refugees, Food For Soul and the Felix Project and was subsequently included in Forbes '30 Under 30' list for Europe as well the Code's '30 under 30' list for Hospitality for the UK.
Merlin now resides in rural Somerset where he splits his time between his Michelin starred farm-to-table restaurant ‘Osip’, his wine bar and bistro ‘The Old Pharmacy’ and the two plots of land where he grows his own fruit and vegetables.