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Returning Home and Rewriting British Luxury: A conversation with Chef Patron Shaun Rankin, Grantley Hall
Chef Shaun Rankin has spent nearly two decades refining the art of British fine dining. Now back on home soil at Grantley Hall – and with a new cookbook capturing the journey – he reflects on memory, mastery and the Yorkshire terroir that shapes every dish on his Michelin starred menu.

James Massoud
Jul 284 min read


"Nature Should Always Dictate the Menu": A conversation with Executive Chef Jack Hazell, Restaurant Isca
"Nature should always dictate the menu." Restaurant Isca Executive Chef Jack Hazell joins The Knife to discuss cooking with the equinoxes, why British produce deserves centre stage, the challenge of letting nature lead the menu, and how ingredients growing just outside the kitchen are shaping one of Sussex's most exciting new restaurant openings.

James Massoud
Jul 275 min read


Cooking Northumberland from the Ground Up: A conversation with Chef / Owner Cal Byerley, Pine
Pine’s Cal Byerley discusses cooking from the Northumberland landscape, rediscovering his creativity, finding inspiration in overlooked ingredients and why sustainability’s restrictions make the restaurant’s food more ambitious – not less.

James Massoud
Jul 2112 min read


"We’re a pub that happens to serve exceptional food": A conversation with Executive Chef Joe Walker, Herts Pubs Company
“We’re a pub that happens to serve exceptional food.” Joe Walker has swapped fine dining and Europe’s fastest-growing food business for Britain’s high streets. In this conversation with The Knife, the new Executive Chef at Herts Pubs Company explains why nostalgia belongs on modern menus, why consistency matters more than ever, and how pubs can once again become the beating heart of their communities.

James Massoud
Jul 155 min read


London's Bluebird Rediscovers Its British Identity
Almost 30 years after Sir Terence Conran first imagined Bluebird as a London ‘gastrodrome’, the iconic restaurant is rediscovering its British identity. Michelin-starred Miller Prada and Executive Head Chef Owen Sullivan lead a new menu where Marmite tart, railway mutton curry and Bloody Mary steak tartare give British classics a modern edge.

James Massoud
Jul 144 min read


Food, Family and Fish and Chips: A conversation with Head Chef Leo Kattou, The Bower House
From frying fish in his family’s Coventry chip shop to leading one of the Midlands’ most exciting kitchens, Leo Kattou’s journey has been anything but conventional. In this conversation with The Knife, The Bower House head chef opens up about Michelin pressure, rediscovering Cyprus, building healthy kitchen culture and why the true sound of a great restaurant isn’t silence…

James Massoud
May 226 min read


"Letting the Landscape Lead": A conversation with Chef-Owner Ryan Blackburn, Old Stamp House and The Schelly
From carving Herdwick sheep out of slate as a schoolboy to cooking them for kings, Ryan Blackburn’s story is inseparable from Cumbria itself. At the Old Stamp House and The Schelly, his menus are shaped by farmers, coastlines and centuries of food heritage. This is a chef letting ingredients – and the land they come from – do the talking

James Massoud
May 511 min read


Meeting the Man Behind Kent’s Only Two Michelin Star Restaurant: A conversation with Chef Director Allister Barsby, Hide and Fox
Chef Allister Barsby has quietly built one of Britain’s most exciting restaurants at Hide and Fox in Saltwood. In this interview with The Knife, the two-Michelin star chef discusses seasonality, the influence of mentor Michael Caines, building tasting menus that evolve with the seasons, and why exceptional dining can flourish far beyond the big cities.

James Massoud
Apr 85 min read


Cumbria's Food Scene Goes from Strength to Strength: A conversation with Chef / Owner Kevin Tickle, Heft
From reviving a 17th-century village pub to earning a Michelin star, Kevin Tickle has built Heft as an extension of Cumbria itself. In this interview with The Knife, he talks about being "hefted" to the land, sourcing with integrity, the power of food communities over competition, and why the Lake District’s dining scene continues to go from strength to strength.

James Massoud
Jan 226 min read


The Knife’s Hotel of the Year 2025: Mallory Court
Mallory Court has always been elegant, but in 2025, it feels newly assured. With the opening of Stu Deeley’s modern British restaurant, The Warwick, the Warwickshire hotel enters a confident new chapter defined by seasonality, craft and quiet excellence. From kitchen-garden produce to nostalgic desserts done properly, this is why Mallory Court is crowned The Knife’s Hotel of the Year.

James Massoud
Dec 17, 20254 min read


Rooted in Perfection: A conversation with Executive Chef Martin Carabott, Gravetye Manor
At Gravetye Manor, Roux Scholar Martin Carabott transforms seasonal British produce into fine dining poetry. From garden beets with Oscietra caviar to deer cooked over juniper, his cooking celebrates balance, precision, and flavour born of time and place. The Knife sits down with the Gravetye chef redefining what it means to cook in season.

James Massoud
Oct 21, 20256 min read


From Garden to Plate: A conversation with Chef-Owner Mark McHugo, Chapters
Michelin Green Star chef Mark McHugo isn’t just cooking with the seasons, he’s rewriting the rules of sustainable dining. From dock seed bread and fig leaf sorbet to gin-infused with wild meadowsweet, Chapters in Hay-on-Wye is as inventive as it is rooted in the land. In this exclusive conversation, he shares his kitchen philosophy, foraging favourites, and what’s next for one of Britain’s greenest restaurants.

James Massoud
Aug 7, 20255 min read


“How Does a County Taste?”: A conversation with Chef-Owner James Sherwin, Wild Shropshire
No menu, no imports, no ego – just a chef, a regenerative farm, and a deep obsession with how a county truly tastes. At Wild Shropshire, James Sherwin is pioneering “ultra-terroir” dining with local eggs, garlic from down the lane, and vinegars that rival citrus. The Knife sat down with the Michelin Green star chef to talk ferments, flavour memory, and why pineapple weed might just be the new mango.

James Massoud
Jul 15, 20257 min read


Redefining British Simplicity: A conversation with Chef Patron Wesley Smalley, Seasonality
At Seasonality in Maidenhead, Chef Patron Wesley Smalley is proving that refined cooking doesn't need theatrics – just great ingredients, a biodynamic farm, and a clear sense of purpose. From parsnip ice cream to a 15-year-old fondant that never leaves the menu, this is a quietly confident take on modern British dining.

James Massoud
Jul 7, 20253 min read


Forest, Fire and Purpose: A conversation with Chef Director Luke Holder, Hartnett Holder & Co
From Michelin stars to forest feasts, Luke Holder is cooking with purpose. In this bold and thoughtful interview, the HH&Co chef reveals why fire is the future, why provenance matters more than perfection, and why the best chefs today need to lead with both instinct and integrity.

James Massoud
Jul 2, 20255 min read


Foraging, Ferments and a Michelin Starred Mindset: A conversation with Chef Jack Bond, The Cottage in the Wood
Michelin starred and mountain-framed, The Cottage in the Wood is making serious culinary waves in Cumbria. We spoke to chef-owner Jack Bond about foraging for flavour, cooking without mains water, and why the Lake District changed his entire food philosophy.

James Massoud
Jun 12, 20258 min read


How The Great Bustard Is Redefining Modern British Dining in Wiltshire: A conversation with Head Chef Jordan Taylor, The Great Bustard
At The Great Bustard in Wiltshire, hyper-local sourcing meets wood-fired finesse. Led by Brighton-born chef Jordan Taylor, with his Michelin pedigree, the pub-restaurant blends bold, seasonal flavours with a deep respect for land and produce. From foraged ferments to estate-reared venison burgers, every dish has a story – and every ingredient earns its place.

James Massoud
Jun 4, 20257 min read


How a Music Graduate Became One of Britain's Most Purpose-Driven Chefs: A conversation with Chef Mark McCabe, Henrock
Chef Mark McCabe went from studying music to earning a Michelin Green Star and representing Scotland on Great British Menu. In this interview, he opens up about sustainability, storytelling through food, and finding harmony between global flavours and local produce at Henrock.

James Massoud
May 30, 20256 min read


Britalian Cuisine, Gastropub Glory, and Culinary Integrity: A conversation with Chef Patron Dave Wall, The Unruly Pig
Chef Dave Wall on Britalian cooking, team loyalty, and how The Unruly Pig keeps raising the bar as the UK's top gastropub.

James Massoud
May 1, 20256 min read


A Taste of Homecoming: Chef Ben Watson’s Culinary Journey at The Golden Ball
Michelin honed chef Ben Watson fuses French technique with Indian flair at The Golden Ball, redefining the modern British gastropub.

James Massoud
Apr 29, 20256 min read
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