By Angela Green: New chef in the kitchen, with diners invited to watch the culinary magic.
Chef News is sponsored by the Kitchen Porters Club
Starting a new job is always hard enough, but for new head chef Josh Barnes, the pressure is raised in his new project for the Swinton Estate. All his cooking will be performed in full view of the select group of diners joining him for Chef’s Table at the hotel.
The Chef’s Table at Swinton will be a fine-dining experience with an experiential twist. Just 12 seats will be available for each evening, with Josh and his sous chef preparing each of the dishes on an eight-course tasting menu in the kitchen, right in front of the diners. The inspirational feast will be prepared in the Swinton Cookery School, which is ideally set up for watch-and-dine presentations.
“This is not for the feint-hearted chef as everything you do is in full view of those who will be enjoying the food moments later,” says Josh as he prepares for his new role. “As well as preparing food to the highest possible standards, we’ll be narrating what we are doing so that the diners learn a few hints and tips that chefs use to add an extra flourish to each dish. We have to be prepared to answer questions even when doing the trickiest of steps – a challenge that is repeated at every sitting.”
Barnes joined the estate from Goldsborough Hall, which secured an entry into the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland under his leadership. He had previously served as Head Chef at the Galvin Brothers La Chapelle restaurant in London, retaining the restaurant’s prized Michelin Star and 3AA rosette status.
Speaking of his new position Barnes said: “I’m very excited to be working here where the ‘estate to plate’ ethos flows through all the food offerings. We’ve got a superb kitchen garden just a few steps away, thousands of acres for foraging for wild ingredients, herd of fallow deer and amazing farmers working the local land. Everything can be served at its absolute best, either fresh from our daily harvest, or ingredients that we have preserved for use throughout the year.”
The menus will be tweaked to make the most of the ingredients in season, and Barnes will be working alongside the gardening team, led by Dame Susan Cunliffe-Lister, to cultivate everything from fruit to fresh herbs, as well as varieties of mushrooms from the mushroom cellar, around which he can build the day’s tasting menus.
Chef’s Table by Josh Barnes launches with previews from Thursday to Saturday in February, before the official launch on Friday the 8th of March. Thereafter, Wednesday to Saturday, and extending to include a Friday and Saturday lunch Chef’s Table from May. Seats at the table are from £85 per person, with a choice of two wine pairings available for £65 or £85, introduced by a dedicated sommelier throughout the meal.
For more details, or to book a seat at the Chef’s Table, please visit swintonestate.com/dining or call 01765 680900.
Chef News is sponsored by the Kitchen Porters Club
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