Framptons, the Bath city centre café/bar and kitchen, has appointed Sam Stone as head chef – bringing him back to the city where he studied and trained.
Sam, pictured, has been heading Framptons’ Tunbridge Wells outlet, where last year he helped it earn the Kent town’s title of Independent Restaurant of the Year. 
Sam is to revamp the menu with a focus on artisan, healthy and seasonal food, while continuing to adhere to the company’s ethos of only using ingredients sourced within a 20-mile radius.
Among his new dishes will be the Bath Crumpet – homemade crumpets topped with 14-hour whisky and oak-smoked Somerset beef short rib, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and pickled shallots.
Sam trained in restaurants in the New Forest before studying at the University if Bath. He went on to join the kitchen team at the Bathwick Boatman restaurant, where he worked under head chef and owner Ben Hall, before joining Framptons.
Sam said: “It’s a real honour to be returning to Bath to head up the kitchen at Framptons. I want to bring exciting new dishes to the menu, reflecting the seasons, and use the wonderful produce this area has to offer.”
Framptons director Sam Westlake added: “Sam’s fresh thinking and approach will take the site to a culinary new level – he helped us scoop the Best Independent Restaurant of the Year for Tunbridge Wells in 2017.
“We’ve paired many of the dishes with wines specifically chosen by the three of us – most recently following a trip to Lisbon in Portugal.”
Sam Stone’s new menu is launching this month and will coincide with a packed schedule of events, including head chef’s supper clubs, tasting events and a new range of cocktails and ales.
Framptons opened in Bath last summer in the former La Tasca bar and restaurant on North Parade. The mini-chain, which now includes Tunbridge Wells, Bath and Ringwood in the New Forest, was launched by former Army friends Tom Walker, Ed McAdam and Sam Westlake.
