Henry Harris is set to reopen two more London pubs with Holborn Leisure, weeks after announcing his new role at London's Truscott Arms.
Former Racine chef Harris will be collaborating with Holborn Leisure founder James McCulloch and head of operations Shane Styles on the re-openings of the Coach & Horses in Clerkenwell and the Three Cranes in the City.
The chef-director will be creating individual, seasonal menus for each of the pubs, blending French and British influences, and overseeing the kitchens across the three sites, owned by Holborn Leisure and part of the company's burgeoning collection of pubs.
McCulloch said: "We originally asked Henry to join as a consultant, but thanks to our mutual desire to create noteworthy pubs with exceptional dining, we invited him to become a partner so we can all work together to create genuinely special establishments."
The Three Cranes is due to open on Lower Thames Street in November with a short menu championing grilled specialities, such as lamb chops, steaks, and grilled fish. Starters will include terrines and salads. A Bordeaux selection will nod to the three cranes of timber on the nearby Vintry wharf, where Bordeaux's wine casks were first brought onto British shores.
In January 2018 the Coach & Horses will reopen. A drinking destination since 1790, it will serve a regularly changing menu including dishes like duck confit, choucroute and sausage rolls.
In February 2018 the Truscott Arms will reopen in Maida Vale under a new name, for legal reasons. It will have a relaxed ground-floor space and a first-floor dining room serving hearty French cuisine and Sunday Roasts such as seven-hour slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with rosemary and British roast beef with all the trimmings.
Harris said: "It's a great feeling to be planning great menus for each of these dining rooms with these excellent new teams."
Holborn Leisure is also a shareholder and director of the Harcourt pub in Marylebone. More acquisitions will be announced imminently, adding to the company's burgeoning collection of pubs.
Harris was chef/restaurateur at Racine in London's Knightsbridge for 13 years until 2015 when he sold the business and resigned as a director. He also oversaw the launch of the Bower House restaurant with rooms in Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire earlier this year.
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