Michelin-starred chef CLOSES beloved flagship restaurant dubbed one of the best in Britain after just 4 years

The Sun

17-06-2025

A MICHELIN-starred chef has closed his beloved flagship restaurant dubbed one of the best in Britain after just four years.
Adam Handling has revealed that his restaurant Ugly Butterfly at Carbis Bay Hotel in Cornwall will close later this month.
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Handling is well-known as the chef-owner of the Michelin-starred Frog by Adam Handling in London's Covent Garden.
The esteemed celebrity chef is also an Acorn Award winner and owns multiple other eateries.
But now, the Ugly Butterfly establishment has now confirmed it was time to move on after a very positive time in Cornwall.
Only two years ago, the Cornish seaside restaurant was voted one of the best in the UK by the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller.
The high-end travel magazine picked Ugly Butterfly at Carbis Bay Hotel as one of its top 18 restaurants for the best dining experience in the UK.
Handling said Ugly Butterfly Restaurant and Bar will serve its last meal at the Carbis Bay Hotel on June 28.
He said: "Our at Carbis Bay has been an incredible chapter and the team couldn't be prouder of everything they have achieved.
"From building one of the country's most sustainable brands to creating relationships with the local community, farmers and small producers and earning multiple awards and listings among the UK's best restaurants, Ugly Butterfly's journey so far has been nothing short of phenomenal."
Handling added: "There is nothing but positivity here because when one door closes, another one opens. And what's behind this next door for Ugly Butterfly and our entire team, only time will tell.
"Thank you to everyone who's supported us – we'll keep you posted on what's next."
The celebrity chef now owns and operates the Michelin-starred Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden, Eve Bar in Covent Garden, the Loch & the Tyne gastropub in Windsor (which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand).
Handling also owns the Tartan Fox gastropub in Newquay, also in Cornwall, which was launched in June 2024.
Restaurant chain owned by Michelin-starred chef is on brink of collapse 16 years after it first opened
Last year the pub was featured in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland.
The Dundee-born chef started his culinary career aged 16 but it was not an easy ride for him.
Eager not to attend university, he managed to get an apprenticeship as a chef at Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, as a teenager.
Handling had to go through four interviews before he was offered the apprenticeship.
For the first nine months, he was only allowed to prepare vegetables.
But eventually Handling worked his way up to the grill and ran the section himself.
It was at this point that he'd gained the sort of expert training you can only get in prestigious kitchens like Gleneagles, and he was then ready to move on.
Following his departure, he worked as a sous chef at the Malmaison hotel in Newcastle, the youngest ever head chef at Fairmont St Andrews, and head chef at St Ermin's Hotel in St James' Park, London.
Handling then returned to Scotland to take on his first head chef position at the Fairmont St Andrews Hotel, where he worked for just over two years and earned 2 AA Rosettes for the restaurant.
The chef appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals 2013.
Handling entered the sixth series and made it all the way to the final three.