Best Indian Restaurant in London’s Oxford Circus

Norfolk-born chef Galton Blackiston began his culinary career while running a market stall in Rye, selling baked goods, while actively attempting to embark on a career as a professional cricketer. Due to the success of his market stall, Galton realised his talents also lay in cooking, so he decided to pursue that particular path.

Without formal training, Galton’s first kitchen job was at Miller Howe in the Windermere Hotel, where he worked under the tutelage of chef John Tovey. He rose to head chef, starting in the pastry section.

Galton then went on to gain experience in London, New York, South Africa and Canada before returning to his native Norfolk to open Morston Hall with his wife, Tracy. Close to the North Norfolk coast, two miles from Blakeney, Morston Hall is a picturesque Jacobean country house with a restaurant and hotel rooms.

Since opening, Morston Hall has been included in the Good Food Guide for more than 20 years and the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 1999, which it has since retained. The restaurant has also become one of Norfolk’s most noteworthy restaurants, with Galton Blackiston now especially renowned for his cooking which utilises fresh, seasonal produce sourced from local suppliers, with much of his restaurant’s produce grown in its own kitchen garden.

In addition to his restaurant work, Galton has gone on to author a series of successful cookbooks and has become a well-known face on British television.