Chef Shigeaki Takezoe came to Britain 30 years ago from Japan after meeting his wife Diana when she was teaching him English in a class in Tokyo.
He learnt to cook in one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the UK before the pair moved to Dorset to set up their own holiday business.
He and Diana now have five self-catering cottages where they offer Japanese food to cottage guests and outside visitors with advance booking at their strangely named Hell Barn Cottages – converted 18th century stone barns in the Jurassic Coast region of Dorset.
Shigeaki started serving up his genuine Japanese dishes in Dorset, when he accidentally discovered a huge demand for his fare. When his son’s school was asking for fundraising prizes, Shigeaki offered an auction prize of a traditional Japanese dinner. His dishes caused quite a stir, and soon he was overwhelmed with requests for authentic Japanese food.
He now cooks up his dishes for visitors and locals alike, using the highest quality local fish, meat and produce. Dishes range from a simple menu of dishes, such as grilled salted fish or tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork cutlets) up to elaborate six-course traditional Japanese banquets with a great variety of seafood, vegetable and meat dishes, accompanied by rice and miso soup.
Follow Shigeaki at:
Website : Hell Barn Cottages
