Published on May 18, 2020

Moor Hall Meets Nathan Cornwell, Head Chef at The Barn

Interview with Nathan Cornwell, Head Chef at The Barn restaurant

Talk us through a typical day for you at The Barn.

I start my morning by checking what the day holds, which guests we have visiting and any considerations. I'll help out in the kitchen, tasting and checking all the mise en place, and with any spare time I look into dish development and seasonal changes. During service I run the pass and make sure things go smoothly, and check all dishes before they leave the kitchen. In the afternoon we all finish whatever is remaining for dinner service, and again I will run the pass.

How did you first get into cooking?

My whole family loves food and everything we do revolves around it, from growing our own vegetables, hunting and fishing to eating out and cooking at home, everything has always been about food, so I've just continued the trend.

What are your top three highlights from your career to date?

My first was probably working at Le Champignon Sauvage, I had always wanted to work there and loved the books from an early stage of my career, so being the Sous Chef and part of the family there was a dream come true.
Following that it would have to be doing a stage at Restaurant Geranium. After Champignon I wanted to take the next step on the Michelin ladder and see what it took to work at one of the best restaurants in the world, it was an amazing experience and made many memories for me.
Finally, it would have to be taking on The Barn. It has so much potential and all the facilities are amazing. I can see it growing more and more, it has a very exciting future.

What's your favourite dish & why?

The Herdwick lamb dish, when it's bang in season. We also utilise some of our earlier foraging, with homemade elderflower vinegar in the sauce and wild garlic capers to accompany as well as some foraged wild garlic.