Grantley Hall appoints former Great British Menu star Samira Effa as head chef

Grantley Hall boasts five different restaurants at the luxury retreat, and Samira Effa will be taking over as head chef at the pan-Asian Bar & Restauant EightyEight.

Samira, who was born in Huddersfield, developed her love of flavours thanks to her Iranian mother and Nigerian father. She has worked at a number of Michelin-starred restaurants including 21212 in Edinburgh, Alimentum in Cambridge and Bohemia in Jersey.

She also previously worked at The Box Tree in llkley. Most recently, she had been a senior production chef at TRUEfoods.

Samira competed in the 2019 and 2020 series of Great British Menu, where she showcased Yorkshire produce and her love for the region.

She said: "“I’m honoured for the opportunity and so excited to be joining the Bar & Restaurant EightyEight team and know that with my breadth of knowledge across the industry, I’m ready to showcase some exciting flavours and bring new ideas to the EightyEight menu.

“I’ve always had a passion for food and with my parent's rich backgrounds, it was common for us at home to cook together using traditional Iranian and Nigerian recipes – both of which are bursting with flavour! I can’t wait to get stuck in at EightyEight and bring my own flair to the restaurant which I know is a popular spot for hotel guests and diners alike.”

Simon Crannage, executive head Chef at Grantley Hall added, “We’re thrilled to welcome Samira to the Grantley Hall family and are very excited to see what she brings to Bar & Restaurant EightyEight.

"Samira has an exceptional culinary track record, along with having a genuine passion and love for food that I know will translate into her dishes for our diners to enjoy.”

Other restaurants at the five-star hotel include the Michelin-starred Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Fletchers Restaurant, The Orchard and Norton Bar & Courtyard.