Mark Birchall, Moor Hall
From the very early days of Moor Hall, Mark Birchall made no bones about the fact he was gunning for three stars. Two stars came quickly and, just eight years after its launch, the Lancashire-born chef has attracted a third. While the overall approach of the restaurant – which is on the edge of the upmarket village of Aughton – remains the same, Birchall has gradually, and by his own admission, obsessively, tweaked every detail of the experience to make it as good as it can possibly be. This policy of constant, incremental improvement has created a restaurant that can go toe-to-toe with any other establishment in the country. It’s therefore no surprise that Moor Hall has been named National Restaurant of the Year not once but twice (2019 and 2021).
Angelo Sato, Humble Chicken
Could Angelo Sato be the UK’s most driven chef? His willingness to rip it all up and start again has seen his Humble Chicken restaurant in Soho go from a relatively inexpensive yakitori joint to a two-Michelin-starred establishment in just four years. At just 32 years old, he is the youngest chef to currently hold the accolade in the UK. But the gym fanatic – he works out twice a day – is not stopping there. Late this month, Humble Chicken will reopen its doors following a £1m refit. Sato told Restaurant that attracting a second star has given him the confidence to double down at Humble Chicken. “We’re knocking the whole thing down and starting again. We want everyone that comes to have the best view and the best experience possible. Being promoted to two stars is amazing but the dream is three. Now is the time to accelerate.”
Kim Ratcharoen, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
Kim Ratcharoen is now the woman responsible for Gordon Ramsay’s flagship three-star rating, having been promoted from head chef to chef de cuisine earlier this year. Originally from Thailand, Ratcharoen started cooking alongside her grandma in her home city of Surat Thani in the south of the country. She moved to the UK aged 17 to study economics and hospitality ahead of joining Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 2015 as an apprentice. She has spent the past decade – mainly under Matt Abé – honing her skills in one of the capital’s most demanding kitchens. Ratcharoen has a growing consumer profile too, having appeared on Great British Menu in 2021 where she combined her Thai heritage with her classical French training to great effect.
Endo Kazutoshi, Endo at the Rotunda
London’s most high-profile Japanese chef has had a very busy year. In the past 12 months, Endo Kazutoshi has launched a huge restaurant at The OWO, opened NIJŪ in Mayfair and – most significantly of all – overhauled his west London flagship. Following a refurbishment and ‘period of culinary reflection’, Endo at the Rotunda has reopened with fewer covers for an even more personal experience and a more refined menu. The new era of the restaurant is shaped by the concept of onkoshishin, which is defined as ‘a way of looking into the future through the perspective of the past’. “The Rotunda is my home and I want my guests to have an unforgettable experience that feels authentic to my culture and a true reflection of our imagination,” Kazutoshi says. “This space grows alongside me as a chef and as a person. I look forward to welcoming the public with an open heart.”
Kirk Haworth, Plates
Kirk Haworth said he wanted to create a new language for plant-based cuisine when he launched a permanent iteration of Plates in Shoreditch last year. That’s a tough brief, but Haworth – the son of high-profile chef Nigel Haworth – has succeeded. The menu at Plates is like nothing else in the UK, with the chef using a wide range of techniques to change the perception of how fruits, vegetables and plants can be transformed. His cooking is characterised by attention to detail, clever technique and a steadfast refusal to fall back on the clichés of plant-based cookery. Earlier this year, Plates became the first-ever plant-based restaurant in the UK and Ireland to win a Michelin star, but its chef is not stopping there. Restaurant understands that Haworth will soon double down at the restaurant, reducing the number of covers in order to make the food even more intricate and boundary-pushing.
Roberta Hall-McCarron, The Little Chartroom
One of Scotland’s most exciting chefs, Hall-McCarron’s cooking CV includes a stint with Tom Kitchin at The Kitchin and six years at Castle Terrace by Dominic Jack (she left as head chef). She can now safely be called prolific, with a total of three Edinburgh restaurants to her name. All in Leith, her mini empire comprises her flagship The Little Chartroom and the more casual Eleanore and Ardfern. A regular on the National Restaurant Awards, The Little Chartroom offers a refined-yet-accessible menu of British-style dishes with a French accent that celebrate top-quality Scottish produce. Unlike many of her peers, Hall has transitioned to more casual ventures and cuisine seamlessly. Her most recent venue, Ardfern – which launched moments from The Little Chartroom last year – is a case in point with its well-judged all-day menu. As if all that wasn’t enough, Hall published her debut cookbook The Changing Tides last year.
The Chef of the Year category is sponsored by premium butcher HG Walter. The winner will be announced at the National Restaurant Awards on 9 June.