Firth has spent the last ten years working as group executive chef for Manchester Central Group. He is a World Master Chef and Master Craftsman in the Craft Guild of Chefs.

The new executive chef, Simon Firth said: I have been passionate about Asian cooking all my life and look forward to overseeing logistics at TLG and easing growing pains as the business looks to scale its operations over the coming year.

“One of my main goals is to make Thai cooking accessible to young chefs all across the UK and promote the speciality as a viable option for young chefs leaving college. This new role gives me the platform to do that – I can’t wait to get started.”

The Thai Leisure Group is a group of restaurants and bars that is owned jointly by Kim Kaewkraikhot and Martin Stead.