Legendary chef Marco Pierre White started his culinary career in Harrogate four decades ago.
Since then, Marco has gone on to lead the country’s restaurant scene and helped kick-start the careers of chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal.
Later this month he is returning to the town he calls one of his “spiritual homes” to host a three-day food festival.
He spoke to the Stray Ferret about learning the trade in Harrogate, favourite Yorkshire restaurants and… tripe.
‘First break in life’
Forty five years ago a young Marco Pierre White was instructed by his dad to go and search for work in Harrogate. This was because it was less than 10 miles away from his Leeds home and crammed with hotels.
So one morning in March 1978, sandwiches in hand, he caught the bus to the town, went to the St George Hotel, on Ripon Road, and knocked on the kitchen door.
He said:
“I was there for about a year. I didn’t learn much about cooking. That’s the truth. But what I did learn was how to use a knife well. I learned how to absorb pressure, I learned to be organised. I learned to work hard. Very hard.
“I also used to stand and watch the chef, Stefan Wilkinson, do the pass. He was the greatest at doing the pass that I ever saw. He gave me my first break in life for which I’m very grateful for.
“I learned a lot there, but not about food.”
Marco said his time at the Harrogate hotel was very important as it prepared him for his role at The Box Tree in Ilkley.
The famous Yorkshire restaurant opened in 1963 and was one of the first four restaurants in the UK to hold two Michelin stars.
Marco began working in the kitchen at the age of 17 in 1979, where he remained for two years.
He said:
“In those days it was one of only four restaurants in Britain to have two Michelin stars. A lot of people regarded it as the best restaurant in Britain at the time.”
‘Spiritual home’
While he hasn’t visited Yorkshire since 2019 as a result of the pandemic, he is looking forward to returning to Harrogate on October 28 for his three-day food festival.
He said:
“I always say Harrogate is one of my spiritual homes.”
And while he hasn’t dined out in the region for almost four years, he credits his favourite Yorkshire restaurant as the Cleveland Tontine, Northallerton.
He said:
“I’ve been there many, many times. My friend Eugene has left there and now he has got the Crathorne Arms, just outside Northallerton. He’s a very good chef and cooks food you want to eat.
“But when I was a boy, Harrogate had restaurants like the Drum and Monkey (which is still open today) and we had Oliver’s and Number Six. The first ever posh restaurant I took a girl to was Oliver’s in Harrogate. We both had beef wellington and a langoustine cocktail.”
Marco also recommends Simon Shaw’s tapas restaurant, El Gato Negro, in Leeds, where he plans to dine ahead of the food festival.
The Great White Food Festival
The Great White Food Festival will be held at the Harrogate Convention Centre and Royal Hall from October 28-30 and is expected to attract around 15,000 visitors.
Marco said:
“It’s basically a celebration of food and there will be lots of artisan producers who make things like salami, pork pies and black pudding.
“There will be produce like smoked salmon and haddock. In my opinion Alfred Enderby, from Grimsby, smokes the best smoked haddock in the world and they are coming.
“Redefine Meat are coming who make vegetarian steaks.
“Pierre Koffmann, Simon Shaw, Jean-Christophe Novelli and I will be doing masterclasses. There are a lot of chefs doing them.
“But it’s a celebration of Yorkshire really and all those individuals who contribute to it being wonderful.”
And his favourite Yorkshire dish?
“Tripe. Tripe is one of the most delicious things on earth. There used to be a tripe shop in Leeds Market. They used to hang it in all the butchers’ shops. People used to eat it cold with malt vinegar, black pepper and salt.”
- For more information about the Great White Food Festival and to book tickets, click here.
A Harrogate restaurant inspired by fashion styles and food trends from around the world has reopened.
Fashion House, which was previously called Fashion House Bistro, has undergone a major refurbishment.
The restaurant on Swan Road is the concept of fashion photographer David Dresser and Leeds-based businessman Joel Feldman.

The kitchen will be run by Peruvian head chef Erika Ramos, who will be serving up dishes from her home country with an Italian twist.
Fashion House hosted a garden party to celebrate reopening this week.
A spokesperson for the restaurant said:
“From London to LA, Italy to Barcelona, this new restaurant has taken inspiration from fashion styles and food trends across the globe and streamlined it together to create Fashion House in Harrogate.”
Read more:
- EnviroVent extends Harrogate Town sponsorship until 2024
- Frances Atkins’ new Killinghall restaurant secures place in Michelin Guide
Chef shot his baker at Harrogate gastro pub
A chef shot his underling baker in the eye with an air pistol, “effectively” blinding him, a court heard.
Brad Tristan Plummer, 25, fired the gas-powered ball-bearing gun at Aidan Corbyn at their workplace, the Nelson Inn gastro pub in Killinghall, a jury at York Crown Court was told.
Mr Corbyn was taken to hospital for a procedure to remove the ball bearing from his eye, said prosecutor Howard Shaw.
He said the horrific incident on September 29, 2020, began innocently enough but turned into something more sinister.
Mr Shaw said:
“The defendant came into the kitchen and said, ‘I’ve got an air pistol’,”
“(Plummer) was bragging to Aidan Corbyn about the gun, telling him…he wanted to go outside and shoot at some bottles. He asked Aidan Corbyn to join him.”
Mr Corbyn later said that he agreed to go outside because he was scared of Mr Plummer, his boss.
The two men went outside to the back of the pub where they lined some bottles up as targets. Mr Shaw said:
“Both (men) had a go, using the air pistol (to shoot) the bottles.”
Mr Plummer kept firing at the bottles until it appeared there were no more pellets left inside the magazine. They returned to the kitchen at about noon and Mr Corbyn went back to work. Mr Shaw said:
“By this time one of the waitressing staff arrived at work.”
Mr Plummer started pointing the pistol at Mr Corbyn, “pretending to shoot him”, added the prosecuting barrister.
“He kept pointing it at his face several times.”
Safety catch
At that stage, it appeared that Mr Plummer had the safety catch on, but Mr Corbyn was so worried he tried to get away from him.
However, his boss followed him, “laughing and joking and pointing the gun at Mr Corbyn”, which Mr Shaw said amounted to “bullying him”.
Things turned uglier when Mr Plummer pointed the pistol at Mr Corbyn’s face “from a distance of about one metre”.
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Mr Shaw added:
“He pointed the gun straight at his face (and) the air pistol discharged,
“Aidan Corbyn was shot in his left eye, the ball bearing lodging in his eye, effectively blinding him.”
Admits GBH
Mr Plummer admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm at a previous hearing but denies a second count of possessing a firearm with intent to cause Mr Corbyn to fear that violence would be used against him. Mr Shaw said:
“The prosecution say that this was not boyish high jinks.
“The prosecution say that this was bullying behaviour by an older, bigger man in a position of power at work, which was picking on a younger, smaller, more junior work colleague and trying to frighten him with a gun.”
Mr Plummer, who lives at the Nelson Inn on Skipton Road, was arrested and taken in for questioning.
He told police he thought the air pistol wasn’t loaded at the time he aimed it at Mr Corbyn. Mr Shaw said:
“He thought the safety catch had been on and said he hadn’t aimed at Mr Corbyn.
“He said he and (Mr Corbyn) got on well and that this was an accident.”
Mr Shaw said the safety catch was “clearly not on” when Mr Plummer shot the baker.
The trial continues.
Goldsborough Hall secures place in Michelin GuideThe owner of Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, has said she is “honoured and delighted” the venue has secured a place in the Michelin Guide.
The 16th century stately home has been chosen as one of six of the inspectors’ favourite new additions to appear in the prestigious food bible this month.
Co-owner Clare Oglesby praised the venue’s “extremely talented” executive chef Josh Barnes, who was appointed last September.
Ms Oglesby, who runs the hall with her husband Mark, said:
“Josh is an extremely talented chef, having retained a Michelin star at La Chapelle in London.
“It’s fantastic to get into the Michelin Guide after all the hard work Josh Barnes and his team have put in. It’s also a wonderful achievement to have been chosen as one of the inspectors’ choices this month.”
Mr Barnes was previously head chef at the Galvin brothers’ La Chapelle restaurant in London, where he retained its Michelin star and AA 3 rosette status. He was also awarded for having London’s best vegetarian and vegan tasting menus.
Read more:
- Goldsborough Hall appoints new head chef
- National Open Gardens: Gardens taking part across the Harrogate district this summer
The chef grew up in the open countryside of Lincolnshire and developed a passion for cooking at an early age.
He enjoys foraging for mushrooms, wild herbs and flowers and other ingredients to create inspiring natural dishes.
Ms Oglesby said:
“His modern, French-based dishes are well-balanced and full of bold flavours – and his desserts are a highlight.”

One of Mr Barnes’ dishes at Goldsborough Hall.
Revealing some of their favourite new additions to this year’s Great Britain and Ireland Guide, the inspectors said of Goldsborough Hall:
“This grand, 16th century country house is set in a gloriously remote and peaceful setting and boasts delightful gardens and grounds.
“With a backdrop this stunning, the cooking risks paling in comparison, but it more than manages to live up to expectations.
“The set menu features ingredients from their own organic kitchen garden, mixing classic and modern techniques to showcase the skills and experience of the team.
“The modern, French-based dishes are eye-catching, well-balanced and full of bold flavours; desserts are a highlight.”
Ms Oglesby said she hoped the prestigious accolade would help put Goldsborough Hall on the map as a leading dining destination.
The dining room at Goldsborough Hall is open, including for non-residents, from Wednesday to Sunday, with a six-course tasting menu.
New chef and manager at Roecliffe pubTwo appointments at Roecliffe pub
A new chef and general manager have been appointed at the Crown Inn in Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge.
The 16th century coaching inn was bought by the Coastal and Country Inns Group in September 2020 and was subsequently refurbished.
The group has hired chef Paul Murphy, who previously helped to establish the Timble Inn near Otley into a five-star hotel. He also worked with fellow chef Frances Atkins at the Michelin-starred Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge.
Paul Bennington will also join the team as general manager.
Mr Binnington, who first teamed up with Paul Murphy at the Station Inn in Birstwith, previously ran the Black Lion in Thirsk.
Chris Hannon, managing director of Coastal and Country Inns, said:
“These two appointments are crucially important for the future of the Crown. The two Pauls, who are both very experienced and very talented, are a true dream team. They work brilliantly together.”
Harrogate’s Duchy Hospital sends medical supplies to Ukraine

The Duchy Hospital in Harrogate has worked alongside a UK-based Ukrainian Doctor to deliver more than 110 tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine.
Working with the Ukrainian doctors’ union and the British Red Cross, the Duchy Hospital has identified the supplies needed by war-hit hospitals.
The Duchy Hospital is one of 53 Circle Health Group hospitals that has stockpiled supplies such as ventilators, crutches, respiratory masks, scrubs, wound kits and operating tables for Ukrainian hospitals.
The latest delivery contained £185,500 of medical equipment loaded on 35 pallets.
Staff and doctors at Duchy Hospital have raised additional funds with a bake sale, food collection and a 12-hour continuous cycle, which have raised more than £2,000.
Ukrainian doctor Sergey Tadtayev said:
“My heart breaks for my fellow doctors back home who are fighting heroically to care for the sick and wounded – even as the bombs continue to fall. Hospitals are struggling to get basic supplies because transport and manufacturing have been so badly disrupted, so I knew I had to do something to help.”
CityFibre expands full fibre network to more areas of Harrogate district
CityFibre has now made homes in Knaresborough, Rossett Green and the area to the south of the Stray in Harrogate ready to be connected to the full fibre network.
Homeowners can use providers such as Boundless Networks, TalkTalk, Zen Internet and Vodafone to join the network.
The rollout is set to continue to new areas in Pannal, Bilton and parts of Starbeck. Works in Ripon will get underway later this year.
Full fibre networks use 100% fibre optic cables, instead of copper, to provide faster and more reliable broadband.
Kim Johnston, regional partnership manager at CityFibre, said:
“CityFibre has been making great progress and people we’ve spoken to have been amazed at just how much fibre we’ve put down in the last 15 months. It’s hugely exciting to now see areas in Harrogate and Knaresborough ready for service and the first residents starting to benefit from our digital investment that will future-proof their connectivity for decades to come.”
CityFibre is investing £46 million in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon to bring a full fibre broadband infrastructure.
I can still remember watching Shaun Rankin make his famous treacle tart on The Great British Menu in 2009.
I used to be a regular viewer of the BBC 2 series back in the day — and like Greg Wallace, I never forget a good pud.
So I was genuinely looking forward to meeting the Michelin Star chef, who has returned to his North Yorkshire roots at the helm of his eponymous restaurant at Grantley Hall.
I managed to get lost on my way to the Grade II listed luxury hotel, despite being there twice before. And using a sat nav. So we had a good laugh about my terrible sense of direction, before we sat down for a coffee in the dining room.
It was certainly an opulent backdrop for an interview. The sprawling estate on the outskirts of Ripon was established at the end of the 17th century, its Palladian-style mansion boasting a rich history having been home to lords and ladies and hosted countless society dinner dances. So the restaurant, which was once a ballroom, is obviously a grand affair. Definitely Bridgeton territory.

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall. Photograph: Jack Hardy.
Yorkshire lad
Born in Richmond, Shaun, who turns 50 in March, is a Yorkshire lad.
He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a chef, often cooking with his mother at home in County Durham, where he grew up.
He said:
“Every chef always says their mum was a good cook. And she was. She was a great baker. She was one of those ladies who cooked on a Sunday. I used to help her with her Sunday roasts and make Yorkshire puddings, mash the potatoes and all that kind of stuff at the age of 13 or 14.
“I used to help make scones, apple pies, mince pies and things like that. And those things were used at the beginning of the week. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, all the bakery products were then used to feed you through the week.
“It was quite a simple upbringing. Mum and dad were divorced, so it was only mum that brought me and my brother up.”
At the age of 16, Shaun went to London to complete a three-year apprenticeship at the five-star May Fair, Ritz and Savoy hotels in London.
He said:
“I went to London as a bit of an escape. From the world of simple things really.
“It opened your eyes to luxury, to food, restaurants and the scene of hospitality. Things you’d never seen before in your life. Things you’d only seen on TV or read.
“That’s where I kind of cut my teeth.
“At that age I didn’t know what a Jerusalem artichoke looked like. So it was a learning curve from all aspects — it was life-changing.
” I liked the idea of cooking, so then from there it just became a passion.
“It just becomes your life. You get so enthralled in it all, that you just get carried away with it.”
After completing his apprenticeship, he returned to North Yorkshire in 1992 to work at one of the most prestigious restaurants in the UK at the time, the Black Bull in Moulton, near Richmond.
He said:
“That was a notorious fish restaurant, so I learned lots about fish, lobster, crabs, langoustines. All those really fab ingredients from the coastal areas.
“I was there for about two years and then the head chef said to me ‘it’s time to go’. So he found me a job in Jersey.”
Turning point
Shaun went on to spend much of his career in Jersey, eight years of which were dedicated to the Relais and Chateaux Hotel Longueville Manor. He opened his first restaurant as head chef, Bohemia in 2003, gaining a Michelin Star two years later.
In 2013, after nine years at Bohemia, the rising star went on to open the much-awaited Ormer in Jersey, winning a Michelin Star just four months later. In 2016 he opened its sister restaurant, Ormer Mayfair, bringing the tastes and produce of Jersey to London.
Fondly reminiscing about his time in Jersey, he said:
“That just opened my eyes again to what a different world we live in. Island life. I really fell in love with ingredients.
When you are island-locked, you start to understand exactly what is in abundance and what is sustainable and the carbon footprint of the produce that you use. You’ve got to be shipping in a lot of your meat protein because it’s unavailable on an island.
“But you understand the asparagus grower, the strawberry grower, the guy that grows the watercress, the Jersey Royal is phenomenal, all the vegetables that are grown on the island.
“So you really get a sense of community and you understand what goes into the produce and how hard it is to produce.
“That’s where the whole thing changed for me. As a 22-year-old it kind of clicked. And I knew this was the path, it’s all about ingredients, it’s all about respect for it and you need to try and bring this carbon footprint down.”
Read more:
- Ripon’s Grantley Hall wins first Michelin Star
- Four wellness retreats in the Harrogate district to re-energise mind, body and soul
- Harrogate vegans on Veganuary, restaurants and why they chose plant-based diets
Sustainability
And it is this sustainability approach that he has brought with him to Grantley Hall.
He said:
“The food philosophy has to be that produce is sourced from all around Yorkshire. Of course we go to the coast to get seafood and we go to Scotland to get shellfish, but 95 per cent of the time everything is from a 20 to 30 mile radius and that’s our platform.”
Shaun uses R&J farmers and butchers, from Kirkby Malzeard, and Farmison butchers, based in Ripon, to source meat.
He said:
“All the cattle is full breed and full carcass cut, so that means there is no wastage and that’s really important for us.”
Shaun also uses ingredients from the kitchen garden at Grantley, which supplies 70 per cent of the restaurant’s produce throughout the year.
He added:
“For the rest of it we forage. Things which are around us like rosehips, elderberries, elderflowers, pineapple weed. All these things that are around the areas and local to us. We use those and we create the platform for the dishes.”

The restaurant is set within Ripon’s 17th century mansion, Grantley Hall. Photograph: Jack Hardy
In fact, if it’s not from the UK, it won’t make an appearance on the menu. This is something he takes a tough stance on.
He said:
“We don’t use olive oil, we use rapeseed oil, we use all of these substitutions all the way through. We don’t use or make pasta, because it’s not what we are.
“Everything is very traditional but reflected in a different modern cooking way and method.
“Hence the menu is called a Taste of Home.”
Taste of Home
And a taste of home it truly is. The current 10-course dining experience, which changes throughout the seasons, features dishes including Bread, Butter, Dripping and Beef Tea, which is bound to evoke memories of a traditional Yorkshire upbringing for many.
And of course the famous Treacle Tart and Clotted Cream makes an appearance.
Shaun said:
“It’s about what a taste of home means. It means that we remember nostalgic parts of our childhood and memories that take us back. It’s led by food and combinations of flavours and textures.
“We take all of the ingredients during the course of the spring and the summer and we will use them in their natural process, but will then savour them and will pickle them, ferment them or preserve them in some way so we can use them in the winter.
“We don’t use things like pineapple, mango or coconut, again we don’t use anything that isn’t from the UK.
“That’s a really strong message for us. For this sustainable carbon footprint approach to this restaurant.
“I’ve been flying this flag since I was 20 in Jersey, and now I am even more determined for it to be that way.
“As a chef, I’m also a teacher, so it’s important to teach my brigade – the chefs that work in the restaurant who are the next generation – that you don’t have to put a menu together with a load of avocados and tuna and passion fruit, pineapple and mangos.
“You can use what is here on the British island really resourcefully. Surely then that generation might change and then the carbon footprint shrinks even further.”

Venison Loin, Blackcurrant and Celeriac from Shaun Rankin’s Taste of Home menu at Grantley Hall.
Passion for design
Shaun said he actually ended up at Grantley Hall thanks to his passion for designing restaurants and concepts.
He said:
“I used to do a lot of consultancy creating and helping hotels and restaurants to achieve what they needed to achieve in London, Jersey and throughout the UK, sometimes even the South of France.”
Two years before Grantley Hall opened, he was introduced to Andrew McPherson, the general manager, and Richard Sykes, the managing director, and joined the team as a consultant, helping to put the concepts and designs together for all the restaurants, kitchens and food and beverage areas in the hotel.
Enjoying his time back in Yorkshire, he was then invited to take over the fine dining and was put in charge of designing the restaurant itself. This involved everything from the credenza units to the soft-closing, velvet-lined drawers, which prevent the clink of the silver-dipped Sheffield cutlery. It’s these little details that help to enhance the dining experience, which, when you are paying £130 per head, is perhaps to be expected.
Shaun said:
“We created everything. We bought the best linen, the best glassware, the best porcelain and crockery.
“Richard and the family honed in on all the local tradesman and materials and again, used everything, as much as possible, from around the Yorkshire area.”
Whisky Sours
Shaun now splits his time between Yorkshire and Jersey, where his two boys, Harry and Ethan, live with their mother.
He currently has a home in Ripon, but before that he lived in Ripley, near Harrogate.
So of course, I wanted to know where his favourite places to eat and drink were in the district.
He said:
“I spent a lot of time at the bar in The Ivy Harrogate drinking whisky sours. The bar is really nice.
“I love Oliver’s Pantry in Ripon. The breakfast is good there and they do a really good club sandwich.
“I go to Three’s a Crowd in Harrogate. I’ve had food a couple of times and it’s tasty. I’ve had Sunday lunch there. I love a roast dinner.”
In terms of what the future holds for Grantley, Shaun said he was looking forward to hopefully having a full year in service at the hotel, following two years of upheaval due to the pandemic.
‘World class’ ambitions
He said:
“Hopefully from now since we reopened, we will get one full year. We will get some momentum.
“We got the Michelin Star in January last year, and the thing about that is every day you need to polish it and keep and eye on it, because you never expect to hold it.
“The ambition for us is the second star in the next few years, so we have to work hard for that. We are constantly working on training and building the team.
“The thing about momentum in restaurants is the more you are open, the better the momentum is. It just becomes more natural and more fluid with everybody and the work, products and service become better. Constantly starting and stopping, you just lose the whole rhythm.
“We are focused on what we do here. The ambitions of Grantley Hall are still yet to be seen. It’s a long journey for Grantley Hall, and for us here and what we want to achieve.
“It really is a world class destination and we want to create a world class restaurant.”
Traditional methods
Shaun then took me on a brief tour of the kitchen – immaculate, unlike mine – which features the Chef’s Table. You can pull up a leather stool and have dinner in the place where the magic happens.
There is also a private dining room, The Dales Suite, which can seat up to 20 people, where you can celebrate special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays and weddings.
Shaun said:
The key message is what we cook here is for a reason. You don’t get fois gras here, you don’t get anything that comes out of France or Italy. Even down to the charcuterie. We brine our own pork collars and make our own hams.
“Everything is traditional, using old methods from the last 200 or 300 years. Salting, brining, curing, preserving fermenting.”
And his favourite dish on the current menu?
“At the moment it’s our Yorkshire venison with blackcurrants and celeriac – both of course grown in our kitchen garden.”

Flamboyant TV chef Gino D’Acampo has spoken out against the rebrand of his Harrogate restaurant to Piccolino, claiming it was done against his wishes.
This month five restaurants with the Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant name were rebranded by owner Individual Restaurants, including on Parliament Street in Harrogate.
Piccolino is also owned by the same group.
But in an interview with Manchester Evening News to promote a new restaurant in Cheshire, D’Acampo said they were rebranded “without my consent”:
“My dad used to say to me for every action there is a reaction. Those five restaurants, they were rebranded without my consent and this is my reaction, I open new ones.
“When one goes, I say let’s do something bigger and better.”
Read more:
- Gino D’Acampo restaurant in Harrogate set to close
- New bar and nightclub to open on Harrogate’s Parliament Street
The Restaurant Bar & Grill, which was on the site before Gino’s, is also owned by Individual Restaurants.
Press reports from last year said the Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant chain was struggling financially.
The Stray Ferret asked Individual Restaurants to respond to D’Acampo’s claim but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.
D’Acampo’s Harrogate venture got off on the wrong foot when the chef pronounced it was the only “proper Italian” in Harrogate.
His comments sparked a furious backlash at the time from a number of Harrogate’s Italian restaurant owners.
Rudding Park launches programme for young aspiring chefsRudding Park in Harrogate has launched a new chef development programme for young people aspiring to become a chef.
The 12-month programme is open to graduates, school leavers and entry-level commis chefs or those simply looking for a career change.
The programme teaches students core and advanced culinary skills to allow them to progress in their career as a chef.
The training will be provided by the hotel’s senior head chefs, the executive chef and consultant chef Stephanie Moon.
Kate Robey, head of learning and development at Rudding Park, said:
“In order for us to thrive as a hospitality business and continue to provide our guests with exceptional experiences, it is crucial we invest in the talent of tomorrow – today.
“Matthew Wilkinson, our executive chef and I approached consultant chef Steph Moon, who has a wealth of experience in tutoring in a number of colleges and is a familiar face on the Yorkshire cookery scene. We are extremely excited to launch the programme and nurture budding chefs so they can fulfil their passions, goals and dreams.”
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The trainees will work full-time and earn £21,870 through the year.
Students will work across all aspects of food production and delivery, spending three months in each of the hotel’s kitchens. Areas such as menu inspiration, planning and costing, butchery and supplier visits and food safety and hygiene are covered.
Harrogate’s Crimple appoints executive chefHarrogate’s newly-renovated Crimple has appointed a new executive chef.
Tim Kitchen started his first head chef role in 2013 at D&D in Leeds and has worked in various venues across Yorkshire since.
Mr Kitchen has moved to Harrogate from Skipton’s Keelham Farm Shop — a success story Crimple is keen to replicate.
This new chef joins shortly after Crimple, previously known as Crimple Hall, completed a £6 million investment. It now has a 20,000 square foot food hall, 150-seat restaurant and private events space plus a garden centre and gift hall,
The food hall has an in-house bakery, 12-metre butcher’s counter and chef-cooked ready meals. All the food and produce is locally sourced and fresh.
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Graham Watson, the owner of Crimple, said:
‘”We are incredibly excited to bring Tim aboard the Crimple team. We’re passionate about supporting local and can’t wait for Tim to weave his creativity and passion into our menus.
“With late night dining launching imminently and a big focus on private events in 2022, there’s lots to do but with Tim at the helm we know the food will triumph.”
Mr Kitchen added:
Working on Christmas Day: a Harrogate chef“I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my culinary journey.
“With all the buzz around the re-launch of Crimple I can’t wait to get started.
“I am truly excited about the opportunity to meet customers and help make their dining experience unforgettable.”
Not all heroes wear capes, and while most of us are tucking into our turkeys there are some admirable people out there who still put a hard day’s graft in on Christmas Day.
Scott Toolin is a chef de partie at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel. He gave the Stray Ferret a glimpse of what it’s like to work on the big day.
Describe your typical working day on Christmas Day
In my last job I worked 11am until 7pm. We did about 80 covers, so I would say it was steady, not too busy. I don’t celebrate Christmas at work.
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How do you feel about having to work on Christmas Day?
I’m not too bothered about working Christmas day, I’m quite used to it.
How does your family feel about you working on Christmas Day?
My family are also not bothered, as they know in my line of work Christmas is going to be very busy.
How do you celebrate Christmas as a result of having to work?
I will still have Christmas on Christmas day. My family will cook the dinner, but I know I will get a lot of phone calls that day asking me how to cook this that and the other.
