A Michelin-standard chef from Byfleet who once worked in the world’s top restaurant with Heston Blumenthal is now ruffling some feathers in the takeaway business.

People who order a chicken burger from Clucking Crispy may not realise the man behind the recipe has graced the kitchen of the Fat Duck and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

But after getting into the world of fried chicken after the pandemic, Jonas Lodge wanted to give customers a taste of what he’s cooked up in some of Europe’s top eateries.

“Oh yeah, I definitely did a Heston approach and tried every type of flour as I wanted the skin to be as crispy as possible,” said Mr Lodge, whose kitchen is tucked away behind St Mary’s Church Hall in the village.

“I tried every different flour I could but the gluten free one worked the best. As far as I know, no-one has been doing that but that’s the sort of thing I do.

“It’s kind of my secret ingredient but it makes it super crispy. You really get the crunch.”

So how did Jonas get here, selling some of the best – if not the best – fried chicken you’ll try when bowls of snail porridge and liquid nitrogen-assisted ice cream were once whizzing past his work station in Bray?

Jonas wanted to be a chef from a young age but set his sights high and targeted the top after finishing college.

He said: “I’ve only really worked in top end restaurants and I ended up working for Heston Blumenthal after studying.

“I applied for the best restaurants and had to do three days for free. I also went to Le Manoir and Raymond Blanc offered me more time but I had to turn it down because I was going to the Fat Duck.

“It was the top restaurant in the world at the time and I was there for a month. Every other job I’ve ever had has been because I worked for Heston.”

His CV reads like a Michelin guide with stints in Madrid, San Sebastian and a renowned pub in Wiltshire before he opened his own GL50 restaurant in Cheltenham.

The future looked bright when it opened in November 2019 but we all know what happened a few months later, and despite winning a regional award and gaining Michelin Guide status in April 2023, it wasn’t enough to keep the doors open.

A dabble into festival and street food made him realise how good his fried chicken is, with his travels leading to the Woking area and the offer of a kitchen in Byfleet.

And while he harbours hopes of getting back into fine dining, for the meantime he’s keen to let more people know about his Michelin take on a fast food classic, with ambitions to get a van and a bricks-and-mortar premises.

He said: “We served all these people at festivals and people kept coming back every day to us, even though there were all these other options.

“All the food I’ve cooked, this has been the most accessible. But I’ve been here six months and just wish more people knew I was here.

“If anyone has a pub and wants food in it, then give me a call because I feel at the moment fried chicken is the way forward.”

Our Woking News & Mail reporter tried the Classic Burger with clucking crispy boneless thigh, pickles and a ranch dressing. Find them on Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Facebook, Tiktok and @cluckingcrispychicken on Instagram.