There’s a new chapter on the menu at The Chronicle – and the man writing it already knows his way around the kitchen. After spending a couple of years cooking for diners at the Exmouth restaurant, chef Peter Mundy is taking over the lease and preparing to reopen its doors in time for Christmas. He promises a fresh approach to locally sourced food, a brighter dining room and a choice of menus designed to offer something for different budgets.
The Chronicle, at 3 Chapel Hill, is due to reopen on Wednesday, December 2. Peter is taking over from Amy, who previously ran the restaurant and who he says is now concentrating on the Queen Vic. The change means a return to familiar surroundings, but this time with the chance to shape the whole experience. “I worked here as head chef for a couple of years when Amy was running it,” he says. “It was fun, very busy, and we had a good team. The kitchen is no stranger to me.”
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For Peter, taking charge is a chance to put his own stamp on a restaurant he already knows well. “We’ve come to an agreement for me to take it on, so it’s about putting my own flair and spin on it,” he says. That begins with the ingredients and the people producing them, with fresh fish, beef and other locally sourced food at the heart of his plans. He also wants the drinks offering to reflect the area, with local ales and juices alongside wines and cocktails.
“We’re going to be doing a signature range of food, locally sourced,” he says. “There’ll be some really nice beef and fish, and we’ll try to support anything local. You’re going to see local ales, local juices and food from local farms.” Peter wants to make the suppliers part of the restaurant’s story, with information displayed on a board for diners. It is an approach shaped by years of working with producers across the South West, and one he hopes will bring something distinctive to the new-look Chronicle.
But he is equally keen that a meal out should not have to be an expensive occasion. As households continue to watch what they spend, Peter plans a more affordable menu alongside a signature selection, with additional set-menu options to follow after Christmas. “We’re trying to give something for everybody,” he says. “To make it successful, you’ve got to do honest, decent, fresh food. You’ve got to make sure it’s costed right for everybody.”
Lunch will have its own identity, with smaller portions and an emphasis on value, while the evening offering will have more of a special-occasion feel without losing the relaxed atmosphere. “The lunch menu will be smaller portions and value for money,” Peter says. “In the evening, we’re trying to work somewhere between fresh food and fine dining, just to give people a nice selection, with fresh starters and desserts.” The restaurant also intends to continue serving Sunday roasts, one of the dishes highlighted in its plans for reopening.
The changes will not stop at the kitchen door. Peter is planning to lighten the interior with new colours and make more of the bar as somewhere people can come for a drink as well as a meal. “We’re just going to lighten it up a little bit and change a few colours,” he says. “One of the things we want to encourage is people coming in for a drink – wines and cocktails.” Exmouth artist Anna Fitzgerald is also involved, with paintings planned for the restaurant that will be available to buy, although Peter is keeping the wider decorative theme under wraps. “There’s a theme, but I don’t really want to say yet. That’s a surprise.”
It is a new challenge backed by plenty of experience. Peter has worked in catering for more than 30 years, training at High Peak College before moving from Derby to the South West 17 years ago. His career has taken him through outside catering, managing venues and running restaurants, including Samphire21 at Exmouth’s Manor Hotel. “I’ve been in catering for over 30 years,” he says. “I’ve done a lot of outside catering and worked around the South West. Then we started in the restaurant trade and slowly tried to build that, using good local food and building relationships with suppliers.”
The move south also became a personal turning point. Originally from Derby, Peter stayed in Devon after meeting Debbie. He has five children and three grandchildren, and when he is not in the kitchen he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family. He is just as enthusiastic about the region’s dining scene as he is about cooking in it. “I absolutely love it,” he says. “I love going out and I love dining. I think Exmouth is very lucky to have so many good restaurants already, so hopefully we can make an addition to it.”
Back at The Chronicle, there is still a team to complete and the finishing touches to make before the doors open. A chef called Jack is joining Peter in the kitchen, while work to put together the front-of-house team continues. The Christmas menu has already been prepared, and Peter says there has been plenty of interest since the reopening was announced, including bookings for Christmas Day. “There’s been a lot of excitement from everybody,” he says. “We can’t wait. We’re looking forward to it now – just getting the finishing touches in and we’ll be ready to go.”
And what would make the next year a success? Peter’s answer is brief and fitting for a man who has spent much of his working life trying to get the essentials right. “Bigger, better and consistent,” he says. For a chef returning to a kitchen he knows, with the freedom to call the shots, it is a straightforward ambition – and a fresh chapter for a familiar Exmouth address.
The Chronicle Restaurant, at 3 Chapel Hill, Exmouth, reopens on Wednesday, December 2. For more information and booking enquiries, visit The Chronicle’s website or email bookingsthechronicle@gmail.com.
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