Returning Home and Rewriting British Luxury: A conversation with Chef Patron Shaun Rankin, Grantley Hall

Few chefs have shaped modern British fine dining quite like Shaun Rankin. After earning his first Michelin star in 2005, building acclaimed restaurants in Jersey and London, and becoming one of the most recognisable champions of seasonal British produce, Rankin returned to his Yorkshire roots to open his eponymous restaurant at Grantley Hall. The move marked a homecoming, not just geographically, but creatively.

At Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, the chef’s philosophy is distilled with striking clarity: hyper-local sourcing, elegant restraint, and dishes that honour the landscapes and food memories that shaped him. From a kitchen garden steps from the pass to partnerships with growers and farmers within a 30-mile radius, this is British fine dining as it should be.

Now, with a new cookbook capturing two decades of experience, Rankin reflects on his journey so far with The Knife; the craft, nostalgia and uncompromising vision behind his Michelin starred restaurant, and the flavours that continue to define his culinary identity.

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall / Image: Justin De Souza

• Grantley Hall has its own Kitchen Garden, and much of your menu begins there. Can you talk me through a recent dish that genuinely wouldn’t exist without something grown metres from your kitchen door?

We grow a lot of vegetables including kohlrabi. I find it very versatile; we have one dish on the menu that uses only this cooked and prepared in seven different ways.

• The relationships you have with Yorkshire farmers, growers and producers are described as central to the restaurant. Is there one supplier who has changed the way you cook?

For me, the ingredient is always the star of the show, and our jobs as chefs is just to help it shine. Last year, we partnered with Yorkshire producer Rhubarb Robert, to create a tasting menu that showcased forced rhubarb in numerous ways. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with a producer that we’re really proud to work with.

• When you were writing the cookbook, did any recipe surprise you, either because it unlocked an old memory or because it forced you to rethink a dish you thought you knew?

The cookbook is all about the journey from when we first opened the doors to now, so it was really nice to look at how we started and compare it to where the food is now.

Crab, kohlrabi, celery, burnt lettuce / Image: Justin De Souza

• Dining at Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall is often described as an "extraordinary" and "immersive" experience. In your mind, what makes a tasting menu feel truly transportive rather than simply technical?

I think one example is the bread course that we have had on the menu from day one that truly brings back childhood memories. The dish is called Bread, Butter, Dripping and Beef Tea and it’s inspired by memories of dipping soft bread into leftover gravy during Sunday lunches at home, and also pays homage to Yorkshire’s reputation for tea.

• You’ve become increasingly vocal about mentoring young chefs, particularly through your work with Springboard FutureChef. What’s the biggest misconception you see in the next generation entering fine dining today?

I think young people are misled by social media. I think a lot of young chefs look at social media and think the industry is glamorous and easy, when that’s not the reality of the day-to-day.

• Your 'Taste of Home' menu is built entirely on British and hyper-local Yorkshire produce. How do you balance nostalgia with innovation when you’re reimagining the flavours you grew up with?

It starts with the flavours I grew up with and the classical techniques I’ve carried with me. Using the best Yorkshire produce brings nostalgia, and innovation comes from refining those ingredients with the team and presenting them in a way that feels true to the restaurant today.

Bread, butter, dripping, beef tea / Image: Justin De Souza

• You’ve been championing sustainability and seasonality long before it became industry expectation. What does sustainable luxury mean to you now, and how do you translate that into a Michelin-level experience?

For me, sustainability is straightforward: work with the seasons, buy responsibly, and stay close to the people who grow and produce our food. At this level, luxury comes from that integrity. When ingredients are at their best and treated properly, the experience feels natural rather than forced.

• You’ve cooked across Jersey, London and now back in your home of Yorkshire. How have these different landscapes shaped your identity as a chef, and the chef you’ve become at Grantley Hall?

Each place has taught me to respect its own larder. Jersey gave me an understanding of cooking on an island; London opened the door to ingredients from all over the world; and Yorkshire brings me back to the produce I know best. At Grantley Hall, I cook with that experience but stay focused on what the region gives us every day.

• Your new cookbook arrives at a point when you’re almost two decades into your Michelin star journey. What part of your story were you most determined to tell on the page?

The book is about the journey behind the restaurant; the seasons, the producers and the people who shape the menu. It reflects how I cook now and the role Yorkshire plays in it. I wanted it to show the process behind each dish rather than just the finished plate.

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall Restaurant / Image: We The Food Snobs

• Head Sommelier Andrew Rogerson has created wine pairings that range from Georgian to Uruguayan wines, plus a rare partnership with Krug. How closely do you collaborate to ensure the pairings work alongside your food?

Andrew and I work together from the early stages of each menu. He tastes dishes as they develop and builds pairings that highlight the character of the ingredients.

• Your kitchen garden and foraging programme allow you to create a menu that changes constantly. How do you lead a team in an environment where the menu is never fixed?

The garden and our foragers set the pace. The team is used to adapting, so when something is at its best, we build the dish around it. Working this way keeps everyone focused on the seasons.

• After 19 years of Michelin recognition, multiple restaurants and now a celebrated fine dining destination at Grantley Hall, what still excites you when you walk into the kitchen each morning?

It’s always the ingredients. Seeing what’s come in and working with the team to turn it into what will become our 'Taste of Home' menu is what keeps me going.

Visit Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall