YOUNG Norfolk chef Alex Clare is just weeks into a brand new culinary adventure after starting his own business in Winterton.

The 24-year-old from Martham, who won the best chef title in the Norfolk Food and Drink Awards, has left the Swan at Ingham where he was head chef to set up Norfolk’s Edge – literally on the edge of Norfolk.

He is running the Airstreams in the beach car park with the help of girlfriend Georgia and a couple of friends and his new menu is already proving popular.

And as well as providing snacks for hungry visitors, dog walkers and locals, he’s got big plans to bring fine dining and barbecues to folk in the village. 

“I’m really excited,” he said. “You couldn’t get a better spot. We’re bringing the North Norfolk vibe to Winterton.”

Alex joined the Swan at the tender age of 16 working for owner Daniel Smith. “I wanted a job. I wanted to find a career that I could do really well in,” he said. “I loved working for Daniel. I was his first apprentice.

“I was very sorry to leave but I’ve got an itch that I need to scratch.”

Working in the kitchen is not for the faint-hearted. It’s often stressful, the hours are long and involve split shifts. While his friends were out socialising or heading off to university he was learning his craft.

“I suppose I missed all those sorts of things but I wanted to progress. I was trying to make being a chef cool again in my world.” 

One of the first dishes he learned to prepare was an assiette of seafood. And fish is going to be a staple of his menu in Winterton, at the takeaway and for the fine dining side of his venture. Already his smoked mackerel wrap with tomato salsa, crème fraîche and parsley has gone down well with customers at the beach. “I’m trying to make it a lot more seafood-led because we’re right by the sea,” he explained.

Further down the line Alex, who originally hails from Upton, wants to take his cuisine into people’s homes. 

He also wants to stage evening events and barbecues. Once he gets established the plan is to replace the Airstreams with converted shipping containers to provide a more permanent – but moveable – base. See @EdgeWinterton on Instagram for more.