How a Music Graduate Became One of Britain's Most Purpose-Driven Chefs: A conversation with Chef Mark McCabe, Henrock
- James Massoud
- May 30
- 6 min read
Not every chef begins their journey with a culinary degree or a childhood dream of restaurant stardom. For Mark McCabe, it started with a fear of dodgy takeaways. A university student studying English and music, he found himself unexpectedly drawn into the world of food – first out of necessity, then out of love. Fast forward to today, and Mark has become one of the UK’s most thoughtful voices in sustainable cooking, having earned a Michelin Green Star at The Ethicurean and now helming Henrock, part of Simon Rogan’s acclaimed restaurant group in the Lake District. In this candid conversation, he reflects on his unlikely path to the kitchen, the impact of Great British Menu, and why cooking – like composing music – is all about storytelling, rhythm, and purpose.
Your background includes studies in English and Music at university. How did you transition from the world of music to becoming a chef, and do you find any parallels between the two disciplines?
Lots of parallels, it's weirdly similar – especially when it comes to creativity. I transitioned because I enjoyed cooking anyway. I actually have a phobia of vomiting so when I moved away to university I didn't really trust takeaways, so it meant that I started to cook properly. In between doing music, I always worked in hospitality, mostly front-of-house. Kitchens are great at sucking you in. I found it fulfilling, which I think is really important. When I was offered by some friends of mine who had a cafe in Lancashire to come and run it, I saw it as an opportunity to learn. There's a real element of storytelling to a good dining experience.
Working at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage must have been formative. What key lessons did you take from that experience that you still apply in your kitchen today?
I grew up watching River Cottage on TV. I was always really attracted to those shows where people kind of made something out of nothing, like I really enjoyed watching Ray Mears and his wild fish shows. Hugh has such an amazing way of conveying things. Going to work there was incredible. The lessons I learned most was to be responsible in what we you know, as cooks and as consumers and as people, to think we have a job to do in being responsible in our decisions around what we eat, when we eat it and why we eat it.
At The Ethicurean, sustainability was a cornerstone, earning a Michelin Green Star. How are you integrating sustainable practices into your work at Henrock?
It's super important to me. I'm very lucky to have come to work for a company that holds sustainability as highly as I do. I thought very long and hard about what job I was going to take after The Ethicurean, because I didn't really want to compromise on my values. I just feel so lucky to have been able to take this step in my career and not have to give up part of what is me.
Competing in the Great British Menu twice, representing Scotland, is a significant achievement. How has this experience influenced your approach to creating new dishes?
I think one of the things that I love most about Great British Menu is the creativity and that sort of carte blanche it gives you to just be a bit wacky. It lets you really push things in directions that maybe we wouldn't do in our day-to-day work, unless you work at The Fat Duck, I guess. It's given me a lot of confidence, having not come through the traditional route into kitchens.
Who have been your biggest culinary influences, and how have they shaped your cooking style?
Hugh was definitely an early influence for me. He and my mum who had a restaurant before I was born. I don't really credit her enough, because I didn't have any interest in cooking at all when I lived at home, but in hindsight, we ate exceptionally well; everything was made from scratch, and foraged a lot. So I guess it would be remiss of me not to give her credit for subliminally showing me the food I like to eat. And I couldn't not mention Simon [Rogan] as an influence, not just because he's my boss, but his farm to table fine dining in this country is immense. What he's achieved here, to put that style of cooking on the map, is incredible.
Henrock is known for its international influence using local ingredients. How do you balance global culinary techniques with the rich produce of the Lake District?
Something we always tried to do at The Ethicurean was to recreate international flavours using what we had growing in the garden there. It's set me up very well for this restaurant in terms of making those misos and growing koji on locally grown barley, or making soy sauces. We've had amazing crops Mooli and Napa cabbages, and things like that, which we traditionally think of as non-British but grow particularly well here. They allow us a leg up in terms of getting those onto the menu. Foraging is a great way of recreating those flavours.
Given your diverse journey, what advice would you offer to those looking to enter the culinary world today?
Give it everything. The industry is changing massively and seismically, and at the moment I think it can be quite a daunting industry to look into. But, if you love it, I don't think there's a better job. And if you fail, learn from that. If you don't fail, you're not going to learn to succeed.
Having worked in various regions across the UK, how have you seen British cuisine evolve over the years, and where do you see it heading?
It's a privilege to be able to spend time in the different regions and see the culture that is there. I think every region of the country has its own distinct food culture. It has things that it does really well and can be really proud of, and it's nice to get to know those producers and those artisans and people who genuinely care about this age-old craft that they still have. I think it's our responsibility as chefs and consumers to keep those trades and those skills alive by supporting them and championing them and giving them money, essentially. I think there is a fundamental problem within our food system. I don't think there is enough education around food. I don't think there's enough care about food at government level. I think if you can fix food globally, you fix a lot of other problems.
The hospitality industry has faced numerous challenges in recent years. How have you adapted, and what strategies have you implemented to navigate these times?
My time at The Ethicurean has aged me post-COVID – I'm grey! The industry's going through real turmoil, and it is hard. Sometimes it can be really demoralising. I feel my blood pressure is a lot calmer not being a business owner now. On an individual level, which is how I can only look at it, all we can do is keep doing the best we can and show people that food is amazing, and that restaurants are amazing, and that working in food is amazing, and be kind.
Transitioning from co-owning The Ethicurean to being Head Chef at Henrock, how has your role and perspective in the kitchen changed?
Being a business owner gives you a perspective you just can't have otherwise. As a head chef, sometimes you can say, Oh but why can't I have that new equipment? Or why can't we get this fixed? You don't necessarily see it from the other side and that perspective is super beneficial in business at a financial level. From a personal level, it's been really nice to focus on the food a bit more.
Is there a particular dish you’ve created that holds special significance to you? And what’s the story behind it?
I guess my fish course from the first time on Great British Menu. We used this amazing Arctic Char from a fish farm down in Dorset. It's one of the most sustainable fish farms in the country. It's on land, it's chalk stream. It's low intervention and the fish are killed to order, so it ticked a lot of boxes. I used the whole turnip and the whole fish for the dish; I cured the fillet, barbecued it and served it with turnip ribbons and a caramelised turnip puree underneath, and then used the bones of the fish to make a smoked whey sauce. I love that dish.
Looking ahead, are there any culinary projects or goals you’re particularly excited about pursuing?
I just want to be the best I can be. Simon has a lot of incredible restaurants and I want us to to be up there with them. I want us to hold our heads up high as Cumbria has more Michelin stars than anywhere else outside of London. And who knows, maybe I'd give it another shot at Great British Menu – I feel like I have some unfinished business there.
