A top chef who spent much of his career working 60-hour weeks has revealed how he swapped the rat race to cook his way through Europe in a motorhome.
Matt Pritchard, originally from Surrey, first began working in demanding professional kitchens when he was just 14-years-old.
After starting at the bottom, he worked his way up and for the final 13 years of his career, was head chef at various gastropubs around London.
However, as the hours clocked up and he was faced with sky-high bills in the nation’s capital, the 44-year-old decided to quit and move abroad where he has adopted a slower pace of living.
Matt and his fiancée Eve, also 44, now travel across the continent in their campervan, where they experience new cultures and cuisines – with Matt cooking dinner each night inspired by where they are in the world.
Matt Pritchard, originally from Surrey, has been working in demanding kitchens in various pubs and restaurants since he was 14 years old. Above: Matt pictured with his fiancée Eve
Matt admits that he doesn’t use recipes, he just cooks what he finds along the way. Above: Brie cheese on a lentil salad with smoked fennel
Matt shares a picture of a steamed caramel and apple cake that he made in his motorhome
Matt whipped up a smoked mackerel and egg salad in his small but effective kitchen
The chef revealed he rarely plans out his recipes; rather he is inspired by the ingredients he finds on his travels.
He has travelled to and lived in Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg in the past three years.
Along with this, some of his top dishes include braised beef blade in a red wine sauce, potato cakes with organic eggs in a mustard beurre blanc and a Polish dish called Potrawka, which is a chicken dish with lemon sauce.
Speaking about his new lifestyle, he told Femail: ‘I feel more free than I’ve ever felt in my life. If I had a house now, I’d have no money again and I’d just be going to work, coming home and it feels like you’re stuck on this loop and you get off when you’re 65.
‘It’s a very challenging lifestyle, it’s very different after being in the system your whole life.
‘A lot of people look at the van life because it is freedom. It is real freedom to be anywhere. It’s less stressful than working.’
Matt and Eve have travelled to and lived in Holland, Belgium, France , Spain , Italy , Austria, Germany and Luxembourg in the past three years
Matt bought the motorhome for £40,000 with leftover money from profit he made on a property. Above: The seating area of the motorhome along with the driver and passenger seats
When he was living in England, Matt’s expenditure was around £2,500 a month for his mortgage and bills.
But in 2017, Matt made the decision to sell his house in England and move abroad, concerned about the prospect another financial crash was on the horizon after the 2008 crisis.
He then travelled to Holland – where Eve’s parents are from – and saw an opportunity to flip a house that was being sold by the local council and needed work.
The chef, who documents his new lifestyle on Instagram, bought the property for £62,100 before doing it up and selling it on for £142,200 two years later – a profit of just over £80,000.
Matt then bought his motorhome just before Covid-19 hit in 2020 for £40,000 and says it was the best decision he made because his costs to run it are now very low.
Matt bought his motorhome in 2020 and says it was the best decision he made because his costs to run it are now very low. Above: The bedroom which has a double bed in it
Matt enjoys exploring different places in Europe and finding new dishes to whip up in his kitchen (pictured)
When he was living in England, Matt’s expenditure was around £2,500 a month for his mortgage and bills
Matt shares all his dishes buy lsd blotter online via his Instagram account, here he has made a braised beef blade dish in a red wine sauce
Matt’s mobile home only costs him £200 a month to run, meaning that it is much cheaper than rent in London
His mobile costs just £200 a month to run, meaning he has a much bigger budget for purchasing ingredients to experiment with different dishes.
‘I don’t have any income, I made all my money from [the] property. I made a lot and I’m very frugal. I have no bills because this lifestyle [costs] nothing.
‘You think of all the money you spend on your home, all those bills, utilities, internet, when I was living in England ten years ago I was paying £2,500. I can live even better than that now for £500 a month this way.’
During his time working in London, Matt said the job was very challenging and hard and the hours were long, a stark contrast to how he lives his life now.