The Crown Hastings

James Favell

Progressing through 15 years of formal and on-the-job training in various Sussex hospitality establishments including those with two AA rosettes, James is a real asset to our team and has been our Head Chef for nearly 5 years. He leads the team of experienced and young chefs, including mentoring those on placements and internships. He brings knowledge of whole animal butchery, fine dining, banqueting experience and a vast technical knowledge of ingredient led cuisine. 

Andrew Swan

Trained as a Engineer, Andrew became a chef 5 years ago when opening The Crown Hastings with his wife, Tess. He has a strong passion for delicious, homecooked food, cooking with the seasons and local produce, and brings this interest into the kitchen at The Crown in an executive chef role. Historically he completed a stagiaire at St John's restaurant in London and has worked at the Bivouac restaurant - part of the Swinton Park Hotel in North Yorkshire.

Andrew's role includes meeting new suppliers and developing the menu, with the freedom to be able to buy from small farmers such as Hooe Level Salt Marsh Farm lamb and Peapod Organic market garden. 

Lead by Andrew and James, a team of 11 kitchen staff create a seasonal menu, all cooked from scratch and in-house.   The kitchen team use seasonal ingredients only because there is a strict food menu ban on exotic produce from abroad – no chocolate, no coffee, no bananas, no lemons, etc. We serve produce that can be grown/reared/farmed in Sussex and Kent so that people get a true showcase of the region, we work directly with local producers to provide a true ‘farm to fork’ ethos.

By restricting the ingredients we have available to us, we have to work seasonally, changing the menu gradually throughout the year. Limiting the chefs to the availability of ingredients forces us to be more creative, so you won’t find your typical pub grub on offer here.