Head Chef James Peyton sadly passed away at the beginning of May

He had a passion for our industry, striving every day to make his kitchen the best it could be. His love of food, with high standards of cleanliness & organisation meant that at The Judge’s Lodging we achieved great success. Whilst not being perfect (are any of us?!), he was ever professional and you could be certain there was never a dull moment in service or whilst in a meeting. James worked tirelessly with the personal challenges he faced to make The Judge’s Lodging a success. He also worked with chefs in our Inns & Hotels on their personal development, supporting with menu writing, recipes & costings and ways of working to deliver targets. In the little spare time he had, he gave this time primarily to his family and then to organisations, playing his role in the community of York..

As time has gone on since we learnt of his passing those of us who worked closely with him have felt his absence. His family have had their private goodbyes. We think that it is right that we do something to pay tribute to the contribution he made to us at work.. We have set up a Just Giving page in the hope we can get a fund together to pay for a small chefs garden at The Judge’s Lodging in James memory.