A former chef for Richard Branson has swapped Necker Island for a Norfolk village, where he is delivering fresh bread as lockdown continues.
Liam Nichols, a chef who has worked in Australia, the Caribbean and New York, has turned his parent’s kitchen in Brooke into a make-shift bakery to sell and deliver sourdough bread during coronavirus.
The 28-year-old, who is currently out-of-work, said he began baking for his neighbours and grandmother to keep himself busy but, last week, decided to post on a community Facebook group offering the goods to the local area.
Within just a few days the former Hethersett Academy student received numerous requests over social media and now bakes 12 loaves a day, the maximum he can manage in his parent’s kitchen, which cost £2 each.
Mr Nichols, who is booked up for orders until Sunday, delivers the loaves daily to doorsteps.
He said: “It is quite fun, it keeps me entertained and I have had great feedback on Facebook. There is a great community spirit in Brooke and lots of people are helping each other out.
“As a chef I don’t have a particular signature dish and I enjoy cooking everything, but my Dad is a baker and we always liked having bread in the house and it is very satisfying to cook.”
Mr Nichols bakes sourdough bread, which takes 24 hours and involves a five-step process, and does not have plans to extend the range as he said his parent’s oven was already taking a beating.
He began his career as a chef while studying at City College Norwich and working, alongside studies, at The Wildebeest, a two AA rosette restaurant in Stoke Holy Cross.
Mr Nichols, who has been a chef for 12-years, then accepted positions in restaurants in Cambridge and Nottingham before working in Australia and New York.
After working at one of Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge’s restaurants in London, Mr Nichols worked on Necker Island, privately-owned by Richard Branson, in the Caribbean, where he cooked for the Virgin group founder and entrepreneur as well as private guests.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here