Flavours of Yorkshire: Chef Shaun Rankin, Grantley Hall

Flavours of Yorkshire Experience What Makes a Meal into a Memory? With Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall

In 2009, the nation tuned into BBC Two’s Great British Menu to watch a chef from Yorkshire execute a perfect – and now famous – treacle tart. The following year, that same chef launched his own TV series, Island Feast, which quickly propelled him to culinary fame.

But Shaun Rankin had already been making waves in the restaurant world for years before landing on our screens. Having polished his skills at London’s prestigious Mayfair Hotel, he spent many years as a chef in the Channel Islands, where in 2005 he was awarded his first Michelin star.

The following year, he was named British Chef of the Year by The Independent, and in 2013 he opened Ormer in St. Helier to instant critical acclaim and a host of accolades, before returning to our screens in 2017’s Masterchef series.

Throughout his illustrious career, Shaun has worked as both a chef and a consultant, possessing a rare combination of boundary-pushing culinary innovation and unrivalled business expertise.

It’s a skillset that’s put him firmly in demand with some of the country’s most renowned eateries, so in 2017, it seemed only fitting that he was approached to lead an ambitious new project that would take him home to his native Yorkshire.

Shaun was brought in as a consultant during the Grantley Hall fine dining restaurant – offer something restoration of Grantley Hall near Ripon, as it was being exceptional to diners, while overnight guests can enjoy reimagined as a destination venue for the 21st century. Its Grantley’s 30 acres of parkland, Japanese gardens, thermal owners wanted to create not only a luxurious five-star hotel, spa and gym facilities, 18-metre pool and, of course, but also to three separate restaurants to give guests a wide exquisite bedrooms. range of choice. “It’s been remarkable journey and I’m so excited to be a

“I’ve opened seven restaurants and hotels from the ground part of it,” says Shaun. “One of the biggest benefits for me upwards, but this project was certainly on a bigger scale than is being able to discover and share some of the incredible anything I’ve done before,” says Shaun. produce we have available, both here in Yorkshire and

“Through my background in designing restaurants and across the UK, which is something I’ve always been really dining concepts, I’ve been involved with a lot of different passionate about.” projects that helped me understand all the different elements that go into creating Images courtesy: ©Jack Hardy somewhere that people really want to be, and I’ve been able to use all that knowledge at Grantley.”

Shaun knew that Yorkshire was already home to some exceptional restaurants, so a big part of his role was to create a concept that would help Grantley Hall stand out as being different. Working closely with the owners to understand their vision, Shaun has diligently guided them through the process of bringing that vision to life.

“The owners knew they wanted a fine dining offering, a traditional restaurant and a restaurant Shaun has always put sustainability at the forefront of his that served pan-Asian cuisine, so a huge amount of thought creations, but while it’s a topic that’s frequently discussed in went into each of those spaces and how we could create the hospitality industry, there are few who ‘walk the walk’ to experiences and menus that would be unforgettable,” the degree that he has. says Shaun. “We don’t bring tuna up from London to Yorkshire, we

Building three restaurants from the ground up isn’t for don’t have foie gras on the menu, we don’t import cheeses the faint hearted – but it’s been a role Shaun has relished. from Italy and we don’t use olive oil,” says Shaun. “In fact, Everything from Grantley’s conceptual interior design and we don’t buy any produce from outside the UK, and that the logistics of the kitchens and back-office operations to the includes lemons, limes, pineapples, mangos and bananas. procurement of ingredients and the development of menus “There are certain things we still need to source from and recipes bears Shaun’s mark. outside Yorkshire, like the shellfish we get from Scotland,

Today, each of Grantley’s spaces – Bar & Restaurant but the great majority of our ingredients are sourced from EightyEight, the Fletchers Restaurant and Norton Bar & Yorkshire farmers and producers within a 30-mile radius of Courtyard and the venue’s eponymous Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall.

“It’s very important to us that we’re continually reinvesting in the local farming community, and that we’re growing and making as much as we can in-house.”

Shaun’s focus on local produce also led him to create a kitchen garden at Grantley, where his team grow many of the ingredients that will be used in that evening’s menu. The aim is to always make use of what’s locally available throughout the seasons; in December, for example, local chestnuts are used to create dishes such as sweet chestnuts with mushroom ice cream. In the kitchen, Shaun relies heavily on the larder he’s created and the staple ingredients he works with daily; local rapeseed oil, English salt, good quality dairy produce and the oils and apple cider vinegars he uses to prep, pickle preserve in-house.

This dedication to seasonality and sustainability translates into a series of thoughtfully crafted and highly inventive menus at Shaun’s fine dining restaurant.

Guests who sample his Taste of Home menu, for example, are served a nostalgia-inducing 10-course feast that whisks them through dishes designed to reinvoke childhood memories and a sense of wonder, as well as celebrating the best of Yorkshire’s produce.

Bread with butter, dripping and beef tea might be followed by scallop with sea buckthorn and lovage, and goats cheese with spruce honey, beets and a flapjack.

Shaun’s signature Sunday Lunch menu, meanwhile, serves up quintessential classics with an imaginative twist. Starters might include a slow-cooked duck egg with Jerusalem

artichokes or a lobster ravioli with crab bisque, while mains include 60-day dry-aged Angus beef with traditional Yorkshire puddings, or pork belly with hispi cabbage and sage.

“We really do put our heart and soul into every dish we create, but the concept of visiting Grantley is about more than the food; it’s the entire experience, from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave – and the memories you take away with you,” says Shaun.

“It’s very important for us and for the customer that everything works “We really do put our heart and soul into every dish we together seamlessly; we know that if the Grantley Hall experience is great create, but the concept of visiting Grantley is about but the food isn’t, that will have an more than the food; it’s the entire experience, from the effect on them – and vice versa. That’s why we’ve designed every aspect moment you arrive until the moment you leave” of the experience to work perfectly Shaun Rankin in tandem.”

When guests arrive at Grantley Hall’s grand entrance gates, they’re warmly greeted and make sure you’re not missing out on flavours or proteins; we’re directed to the reception, where they’re welcomed by the always thinking of the customer, and that’s why there’s always concierge and shown to their room, if they’re staying a wonderful warm ambience in the restaurant,” says Shaun. overnight. When it’s time for lunch for dinner, guests settle “When you leave, we want you to take home incredible into Grantley’s exquisite Norton Bar, where an expert food memories – whether it’s because we’ve recaptured sommelier will serve champagne from a handmade trolly. In flavours from your childhood or because we’ve introduced the winter, guests might cosy up by the large, open fireplace you to the abundance of ingredients and flavours we have to enjoy homemade charcuterie made freshly in the kitchen, here in Yorkshire. Enjoying something you don’t get to do accompanied by a seasonal aperitif. every day – that’s what makes it an experience, not just

After being welcomed into the fine dining restaurant, a meal.” diners are seated comfortably on handmade chairs crafted in Brighton, in front of a selection of fine china, linens and glassware – all meticulously sourced by Shaun to create a For more information, visit: grantleyhall.co.uk completely luxurious dining experience. Read the full interview with exclusive Grantley Hall

“Our team will talk through every aspect of the menu with GourmetXperiences on our website. you and find out about your dietary requirements, so we can