Swinton Estate: The Yorkshire estate appoints new executive head chef
Swinton Estate has appointed a new executive head chef - Steve Darou.
Steve Darou has been appointed as Swinton Estate’s new executive head chef – leading the food offering across the estate.
Mr Darou has joined the estate from St John restaurants in London, where he served as group head chef.
He brings with him a deep respect for ingredient-led cooking, seasonability and the resourceful nose-to-tail philosophy.
This ties in with Swinton’s estate-to-plate ethos and he will focus on the connection between land and kitchen.
A key part of his role is to develop the wider team of chefs so that they build a deeper understanding of how to handle and use ingredients from across the country, creating a more authentic expression of Swinton’s land, people and provenance.
“I am delighted to be joining Swinton and leading the food offering across the estate,” Mr Darou said.
“Having grown up in Canada with a strong connection to foraging and fishing, I have always held a deep respect for produce and provenance.
“After 12 years with St. John in London, I am excited to work with the team to realise the full potential of one of the country’s great estates, from its exceptional walled kitchen garden to the wider landscape that shapes its identity. It is a rare opportunity to create food that is not only delicious, but truly rooted in place.”
General manager at Swinton Estate, Ramune Aleks, said: “This is an exciting moment for Swinton, and we are delighted to welcome Steve to the estate.
“His appointment reflects our ambition to build a kitchen culture that combines exceptional cooking with a deeper understanding of provenance, seasonality and regenerative hospitality, while making the very most of the extraordinary produce and farming heritage around us.”
Alongside these wider developments, Josh Barnes has concluded his time at the Chef’s Table in early July.
Chef’s Table is an estate-to-plate dining experience located at the heart of Swinton Estate and focuses on provenance and seasonability.
It’s quite an intimate space that seats only 12 guests and guests have a chance to engage with the craft of fine dining.
During Mr Barnes’ time at the restaurant, the Chef’s Table was awarded 3 AA Rosettes and received Michelin recognition.