Ben Murphy

The Climb

Westminster Kingsway College gave Ben Murphy the basics that matter in a professional kitchen: precision, repetition, and the discipline to work cleanly under pressure. That training shows in a style built on control rather than noise, with refinement coming from restraint and timing. He is chef of Dell'Alba, and the line from school to service reads as a cook who values structure as much as expression.

Today

At Dell'Alba, the cooking under Ben Murphy aims for balance: polished, but not closed off; considered, but not precious. The restaurant sits in the space between modern expression and easy hospitality, and that is where his approach seems to land as well. The work is personal without being guarded, with a clear preference for food that can carry intent and still feel open to the table.

Signature

Ben Murphy's signature dishes include potato puff with 30-month aged comte, duck with purple beetroot and radish, egg and soldiers with artichoke and sourdough, and lavender choux. Read together, they show a kitchen working with contrast: crispness against richness, earth against brightness, familiarity against small shifts in form, and floral notes used with care rather than effect. The dishes rely on technique and timing, but they also make room for texture, memory, and a measured sense of play.

In Their Words “Being at 74 Charlotte Street, I wanted my name on the door. I wanted to cook food that I love to eat, and I wanted to be accessible.” “The menu here is uh modern British.” Those lines place the emphasis on authorship and access. Ben Murphy is direct about wanting his name on the door, but the point is not status for its own sake; it is the chance to cook food he wants to eat and serve it without ceremony. When he calls the menu “uh modern British,” the phrasing keeps the register plain: no need to overstate the category when the work is meant to stand on its own.

Recognition

Ben Murphy's honors include National Chef of the Year (2022). That recognition sits alongside the discipline of his training and the clarity of his current cooking, marking a moment when the trade acknowledged the consistency of his work. In 2022, the award placed him in the conversation around modern British cooking on the strength of a style that is controlled, specific, and comfortable with restraint.