The year-long apprenticeship saw Sam immersed in all things gastronomy; cooking, of course, as well as baking, butchery, charcuterie and even food blogging. After it came to an end, stints in private catering, at popular Macclesfield bakery Flour, Water, Salt and, in a slight tangent, political communications (he soon realised a life behind a desk wasn't for him) followed, before he returned to nature at River Cottage for three years, leading its cookery courses. Then came something of a tour of UK kitchens, beginning at Surf Tiree, on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, off Scotland's west coast, before heading 400 miles south to Wales' Menai Strait, which separates the mainland from Anglesey (on a geological fault line and filled with strong tidal currents, it is a rich source of seafood). There, keen to open his own venture, he partnered with local sea salt company Halen Môn to open waterside café Tide Llanw. 'At that stage I really wanted to run a business,' he says. 'I liked the idea of a cafe – it’s a bit more accessible and democratic and a focal point in the community, in a way that you can’t necessarily achieve with a restaurant.’

It was in 2020, as the world turned upside down, that Sam received a call from Hugo Guest about a head chef position at a soon-to-open East Devon guesthouse and restaurant Glebe House. Ready to return to the innovation of restaurant kitchens, he moved another 300 miles down the road, joining Hugo and his wife Olive for a busy opening which was heightened by the staycation boom of the pandemic. A remote, food-focused guesthouse, Glebe House is inspired by the Italian agriturismo model, where farms welcome guests for dinner and stays. ‘It’s about Italian generosity with British ingredients,’ he says. ‘The food itself is simple and draws on craft and artisan teachings. We make everything on-site – we have a micro-bakery, produce salamis and hams, simple fresh cheese and pasta. It’s a set menu, but not a tasting menu – it’s a generous, hearty dinner where you get to taste lots of different things.’

Though he had enough to contend with, in 2021 Sam accepted an invitation to appear on Great British Menu; although he didn't make it to the banquet, his dishes, which paid homage to radio legends and police drama Happy Valley, provided an opportunity to get his name out there and showcase his farm to fork style. ‘It was a very intense experience – Glebe House had only been open for a few months, it was already quite full-on and then there was a lot of work involved with Great British Menu, developing the menus and sourcing everything. It takes a lot of time and thinking space, but it was a great experience – a mix of enjoying it and, looking back, feeling terrified. I was the only person representing the style of food I really like, which is farm to table, drawing on actual suppliers and cooking within the seasons.'

Sam is a few years shy of thirty, but has a quiet confidence not always seen in chefs his age. As well as working in cafés and restaurants, he hosts pop-ups, leads cookery classes, has been involved in cookbook writing and now publishes his own monthly newsletter, Field Notes, which focuses on seasonality. His ambition is clear, though he says he isn't yet sure in which direction it will take him. On one hand, there's the dream of running his own tasting menu restaurant, while on the other there's the pursuit of food writing, or even opening a café-style space which 'involves as many people as possible, where everyone feels like they are welcome'.

For now, Sam is happily in his stride at Glebe House, the perfect platform for his style, complete with regular bread and pasta-making classes, as well as mackerel fishing trips. His cooking is also starting to garner attention – in March, he was announced as a finalist in the prestigious Roux Scholarship. Whatever comes next, Sam's grounding in farm-to-table, sustainable cooking, and willingness to grab new opportunities with both hands is likely to stand him in very good stead. ‘I will always be drawn to places that have that connection with where food comes from,’ he says. ‘I aim to cook food that feels right for when you are eating it. I’m drawn to ingredients and having a personal connection with those, whether it’s knowing who has grown the vegetables or reared the livestock and what that process is. Knowing where they come from gives food a lot more meaning.’