Exeter College alumni and former butler to The Royal Family, Matthew Balman, visited students last week at our @thirty-four training kitchen and restaurant to share his experiences in industry.   

Matthew said, “It’s strange being back at college; there’s a lot of bits I recognise and a lot that I definitely don’t. It’s super nice being back in Devon and at Exeter College!”  

From 2002 to 2005, Matthew completed his Level 1, 2 and 3 NVQ in Kitchen and Service at Exeter College. Continuing his studies, he achieved a diploma, making him a qualified pastry chef and pâtissier. While at college and dreaming of becoming a chef, Matthew completed work experience at a Michelin star restaurant in Hampshire. Once qualified, he worked there as a full-time commis-chef.  

“To have someone with the skills, experience and knowledge that Matthew has to come in and work with students is invaluable,”

Stafford Pitts, Programme Lead, Hospitality and @thirty-four

Although Matthew remains passionate about cooking, he realised that it was guest interaction and seeing the job through that he thrived the most off. In a slight career shift, he switched to working in the service industry and soon found himself rising through the ranks to royal service.   

Matthew spent the next four years at Gidleigh Park in Dartmoor, successfully working his way up to senior head waiter, before moving onto the Nare Hotel in Cornwall. Here he learnt invaluable skills in a quaint, yet busy environment. By the time he was 25, Matthew was managing a restaurant in the Cotswolds.  

Throughout this time, Matthew competed in a range of competitions, from ‘Young Chef, to Young Waiter’, to ‘The Annual Awards of Excellence’.  

Matthew successfully got through to the semi-finals of ‘The Gold Service Scholarship‘, where he met an employee of The Royal Household. Through this meeting, Matthew attained an interview and succeeded in becoming a footman at Buckingham Palace. He moved to London to serve The Royal Family, where he stayed for four years.  

Most recently, Matthew has been working as a butler and chef for a family in Holland Park, London.  

Considering his time at Exeter College, he explained how the skills he learnt here have helped him progress in this career: “The best piece of advice I ever got was ‘be busy when you’re quiet so that you can be quiet when you’re busy.’ You can never be too prepared; I can’t begin to explain how many times learning this has helped me.”  

Visiting Exeter College

While visiting Exeter College’s @thirty-four last week, Matthew worked alongside students to create a Buckingham Palace butler experience on a budget, giving both students and diners a distinct, unique experience that was fit for royalty.  

“When I was in college, I went into a kitchen thinking that is what I wanted to do; I didn’t realise front-of-house was an option – so that’s what I’m here to show students,” Matthew explained.   

The night was a success, with students learning the intricacies of a royal service, how to lay the table, fold napkins and serve guests to royal standards.  

Stafford Pitts, Programme Lead of Hospitality and @thirty-four, was delighted to have Matthew come and show students his skills and inspire them to new standards of hospitality and service.  

Stafford said,  “To have someone with the skills, experience and knowledge that Matthew has to come in and work with students is invaluable.”

“The chefs usually take the forefront of this industry, so to have a night where the front-of-house were the stars was brilliant. With Matthew also being an ex-student to the college, he has a great understanding of how they were feeling and how to reassure them. He also realises the importance of promoting front-of-house and the many paths it offers as a potential career option.” 

You can find out more about our front-of-house and hospitality courses at our next Open Event on Wednesday 20^th November. Pre-register here.   

If you are an alumni of the college and would like to work with current students, then please get in touch here.