Chef Spotlight | Craig Beacham of Sandy Park Conference Centre, Home of Exeter Chiefs
Sandy Park Head Chef, Craig Beacham, was crowned Chef of the Year 2025 at last month's Food Drink Devon Awards.
After a busy autumn of Women’s Rugby World Cup and the new rugby season in full swing, the Sandy Park Conference and Events team are non-stop, and the kitchens are as busy as ever.
In the middle of it all we managed to pin down Head Chef Craig. In this bumper edition of Chef Spotlight we find out more about his career, his motivation and what's next for his Sandy Park kitchens. It's a good one, read on!
Tell us a little about yourself, Craig
I trained and lived in Wales and spent the first seven years of my career working in hotels and restaurants, where I built a solid foundation in the kitchen.
From there, I moved to Devon and spent five incredible years in a Michelin-starred kitchen in Torbay, learning the precision, discipline, and creativity that comes with working at the very highest level.
After that, I wanted to get closer to the heart of food. I joined a new venture where we grew our own fruit and vegetables and worked with local suppliers, creating dishes that truly celebrated seasonal and sustainable produce. That passion for flavour and quality is something I carry with me to this day.
I joined Sandy Park in August 2017 and became Head Chef the following April. Now, whether I’m crafting a sandwich or preparing a banquet for hundreds, I bring the same dedication, because if you’re going to do a job, you should always do it right. For me, the standards never change, whether I’m cooking for two covers or 1000.
As much as I love life in the kitchen, finding the right work/life balance matters to me too. Having a young family keeps me grounded, and I believe that balance makes me a better chef, as well as a better person.
Find out more about Craig below in our quick-fire questions...
What three words would sum up your style of cooking?
Flavour, seasonality… and more flavour.
What has been your career highlight so far?
Cooking for Team GB as part of the London Olympics at the Royal Albert Hall with Heston Blumenthal, or more recently, the Women’s Rugby World Cup here at Sandy Park.
What is your favourite seasonal ingredient, and how would you serve it?
I love Jerusalem artichokes, they have a short seasonal window, so versatile, and full of flavour! I’d serve them with a duck egg pasta.
What does ‘sustainable’ mean to you?
For me, sustainability isn’t just about one point in the process, it has to be a full-circle journey.
It starts with how and where our ingredients are sourced; they need to be grown locally, responsibly, and with respect for the land.
From there, it’s about how we use those ingredients in the kitchen, creating dishes that celebrate them fully, reusing elements wherever possible, and making sure nothing goes to waste.
And finally, it’s about what happens at the end of that journey - recycling, composting, and making sure we close the loop.
A lot of people focus only on the start or the finish, but for me it’s about joining the dots all the way through. That’s when food is truly sustainable.
Which chef do you most admire?
I admire the many ‘forgotten’ chefs in Devon and across the south west. The ones who don’t have a book deal or a TV show, but are producing incredible food. They’re the ones quietly raising standards and keeping our region’s food culture strong.
What is your most thumbed recipe book?
Not any one in particular, but all the classics have shaped me.
Your secret weapon in the kitchen is?
Passion… and not just in the kitchen!
Do you have a food-related guilty pleasure?
Mushrooms on toast is a favourite! Oh, and top it with blue cheese oooooooh…. [chef noises]
What has been your most memorable meal?
Le Meurice in Paris or Noma in Copenhagen
What’s always in your fridge at home?
Cheese and sausages, can’t go wrong!
Tell us your earliest food memory.
Helping Mum making a lasagne on a Saturday night, with Gladiators and Baywatch on the TV and the smell of homemade chips in a deep-fat fryer filling the air!
Do you have a favourite drink?
Gin and tonic or whisky
What would you choose as your last meal?
Steak, chips and peppercorn sauce
Tell us about a childhood foodie treat.
Again another Saturday night memory, is Mum making proper milkshakes, with ice cream from the big 5-litre Asda tubs in the bottom of the chest freezer
What are your ambitions for Sandy Park’s kitchen?
To keep moving forward, to bigger and better, pushing the menu, the team, and the standards.
Tell us about Sandy Park’s menus for banqueting, conferences and match day hospitality.
When people come to a rugby club as a venue, they often arrive with fairly modest even low expectations about the food. My goal is for them to leave genuinely impressed by what we can deliver.
Our conference and banqueting menus are produced to a very high standard and it’s not just about feeding large numbers; it’s about delivering restaurant-quality dishes at scale.
Match day hospitality has its own energy, and we work hard to make sure the food matches that buzz, giving supporters something memorable alongside the rugby.
Whether it’s a three-course banquet, a working lunch for delegates, or a match day experience, we aim to surprise people with just how good the food at Sandy Park can be.