Our Family

James joins Executive Chef Douglas Balish’s team to take on the key Head Chef position, and supporting Douglas in the delivery of the food operation across the entire hotel.

Prior to joining Grove, James was Head Chef at 3 AA Rosette restaurant L’Ortolan, in Reading. He held the role of Head Chef since March 2020, having first joined in 2018 as Sous Chef. Prior to his time at L’Ortolan, James spent 2 incredible years at The Fat Duck, Bray, as Chef de Partie.

James’ style of classical and modern cooking perfectly complements Douglas’ own cooking and the style of dishes Grove of Narberth is so well known for.

Hailing from sunny Cannes in the Côte D’Azur, Mourad got his first taste for hospitality at the tender age of 12, earning pocket money by helping his dad in a family-owned coastal restaurant during his school summer holidays. He then became a part-time chef working every weekend and in school holidays for more than 10 years.

While studying for a Masters in Applied Foreign Languages at Nice University, he worked in front of house roles for the Luxury Hotels of Monaco during events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix. His first full-time role was as a commis waiter, working for the prestigious Société des Bains de Mer hotel group in Monaco. He then moved to the UK, spending several years at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, before expanding his experience at other iconic British venues such as l’Ortolan and Hambleton Hall. He then returned to Le Manoir as Restaurant Manager, going on to spend the next 18 years helping Raymond Blanc perfect his astonishing vision for the hotel and restaurant, latterly in the role of Restaurant Director. During his time at Le Manoir, Mourad became a Master of Culinary Arts in 2013.

Mourad then joined the Seren team as Director of Restaurants in 2020, trading the Oxfordshire countryside for the beautiful coast of Pembrokeshire, to take on this exciting new role across our family of restaurants. Mourad is a proud family man and when not at work, he enjoys gardening, keeping fit, cooking for the family, and exploring this beautiful part of the world.