Niall Keating has been appointed to succeed Martin Burge as executive chef at Whatley Manor, running the Wiltshire luxury hotel and spa’s two restaurants.

It is a first leadership role for 25-year-old Keating, who was born in Staffordshire and has worked under Sat Bains in Nottingham and Corey Lee of three-star Benu in San Francisco. He began his career at Bath Priory, where he impressed Sue Williams, Whatley Manor’s new general manager.

Burge established Whatley, near Malmesbury, as a gastronomic destination in his 13-year tenure following its relaunch by Swiss owners Alix and Christian Landolt. He has yet to announce his next move.

His cooking in Whatley’s Dining Room earned praise as “fabulous” from the Harden’s Survey, although a more sceptical note crept in in recent years, with some respondents finding it “unadventurous” and “lacking the wow factor”. The hotel’s second venue, Le Mazot, is a bistro with a Swiss chalet theme.