Head chef of The Unruly Pig Dave Wall on his chef journey

After its launch in 2015, The Unruly Pig in Bromeswell, near Woodbridge, has become a beacon of success in the Suffolk food scene, taking first place in the Estrella Damm UK Top 50 Gastropubs Awards and being named in a series of other awards.

Head chef Dave Wall has now spoken about his journey from Ipswich schoolboy to becoming one of Suffolk's most successful chefs ahead of his appearance at this weekend's Aldeburgh Food Festival.

The Unruly Pig in Bromeswell near Woodbridge (Image: Newsquest) Mr Wall said: "So I went to Copleston High School in Ipswich and my cooking journey started when I was doing my A-levels.

"I had a job at McDonald's on the A14 towards Felixstowe and that was my first kitchen experience I guess. In fairness, it did actually carry over with all the experiences of moving around the kitchen organising and cleaning being really helpful.

"I didn't do as well that well on my A-levels so I decided to go travelling. While out there I got a pot-washing job in Australia and worked my way up at this casual restaurant.

Dave Wall came runner-up in the Best Chef category of the Great British Pub Awards in 2021 (Image: Archant) "When I came back to the UK I was obsessed. I got myself a commis-chef job at The Anchor in Nayland and got my head down. I wasn't a foodie at this time so every day I was eating food that I'd never tried before. I also met my Wife while I was there and it was an amazing time."

After a few years, Mr Wall was told by head chef Carl Shillingford that he should move to London to work alongside the very best in the industry.

So he packed his bags and went on to work with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s and The Boxwood Café.

The fried oyster at The Unruly Pig (Image: Mark Heath) After becoming a sous chef he moved onto Bibendum in London, then to Le Talbooth in Essex and then finally returned to Suffolk.

The Suffolk father-of-two said: "When I returned to Suffolk in 2015 it was amazing. Suffolk is where I'm from and I'm an Ipswich Town fan so the whole Unruly Pig project was just very exciting.

"With the menu, we wanted to have Italian influences but in a Suffolk setting. So what I did was find old Italian cookbooks and give them a go without any googling or influence."

Agnolotti pasta at The Unruly Pig (Image: Mark Heath) He added: "Suffolk's food scene is really thriving, particularly here in east Suffolk. It's great to have the fantastic competition we have and we all test each other.

"There's some exciting names coming in and doing these demos at these festivals is a great way for the public to see behind the scenes."

Mr Wall will be at the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival this weekend showcasing dishes such as nduja, chorizo, and taleggio arancini and fried oysters.

A steak main at The Unruly Pig (Image: Mark Heath)

The award-winning chef's advice for young chefs is to stay patient and be committed.

He added: "Young chefs often want the world too quickly. I have learnt from so many amazing chefs and looking back it's important to find somewhere where food is cooked from scratch and you are given time to learn and develop.

I am very grateful for that and hope other people in my position get that opportunity."