Paul Taylor

Paul and his partner Tim Wood own and run the acclaimed Fat Loaf restaurants in Sale and Altrincham – and will soon open a third, within four years, at Didsbury. The former Didsbury Village Restaurant and Steak and Kebab eatery at 846 Wilmslow Road is to re-open as a ‘food and drink’ English bistro serving British classics in The Fat Loaf’s own style.

Paul Taylor (23), a Gordon Ramsey Scholarship grand finalist, was part of Marco Pierre White’s handpicked team when the Lowry Hotel opened its River Restaurant in Manchester.

He left for Longueville Manor in Jersey and also worked with Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing after winning a culinary scholarship sponsored by Gordon Ramsay.

When he and Tim opened the first Fat Loaf in Sale, in 2004, their policy of using locally sourced, best quality ingredients attracted favourable local and national newspaper reviews. The Altrincham Fat Loaf opened two years later, in 2006, and gained an equally loyal following.

Paul’s ambition to become a chef began, at 14 years old, with a part-time job at a restaurant in Knutsford. “The head chef, there, was inspirational - firm, fair and passionate,” he says. “Looking back the food was nothing out of the ordinary but where others would have cut corners he made everything fresh and would never waste anything. That, I’ve thought ever since, is the sign of a good chef.”