Stabbed, jailed, reborn: the chef who lost his love of food – then regained it behind bars

Nathaniel Mortley dreamed of opening his own restaurant, but ended up in jail for drug offences. Now he’s out, and doing his best to make up for lost time

At first he thought it was just a nasty punch, but Nathaniel Mortley soon realised he had been stabbed in the back. This was true in two senses. Figuratively, because he had been set up by a friend, and quite literally – since his back was gushing blood, as he saw reflected in the pub toilet mirror.

It was 2010 and hours earlier, he had been at a street festival in south London. Life was looking up: he had just achieved good exam grades (14 GCSEs) and things were going well with his girlfriend. It was the final week before sixth form began and Mortley, who was 16 at the time, was due to continue his academic success, having signed up for five A-levels.

Continue reading...