Chef Sean Wrest to head up the Horns Inn in Goosnargh

Sean Wrest, former head chef at Roots in York, is to oversee a new restaurant at the Horns Inn in Goosnargh, Lancashire.

Wrest, one of the 2021 Acorn Award winners, stepped down from Roots last summer after helping the team win a star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021.

The 17th century, Grade II-listed Horns Inn is undergoing a major renovation and will open in mid-March, with bookings available from February.

It has been taken over by local building company J Townley, which is constructing a number of luxury cottages and homes around the site and decided to transform the inn into a 100-cover destination restaurant.

The plan is to also retain the pub side of the business, and an afternoon tea offer will run alongside lunch and dinner.

Wrest said the menu will bring together all of his previous culinary experiences.

“I have worked in restaurants where we’ve created menus around foraging, fermenting and pickling but also where we’ve used more classical techniques and recipes,” he said. “I will be bringing together everything I’ve learned over the years in what hopefully will be a really authentic and exciting offering.”

Wrest’s fiancee, Sam Haigh, is leaving her job as restaurant manager at the Black Swan at Oldstead to become general manager at the Horns Inn.

Forager and author Alysia Vasey has been brought in as operations consultant, which Wrest said ultimately convinced him to get involved.

He said: “It was Alysia that got in touch with me first to see if I would be interested and I knew that if she was recommending it, it had to be something special – and she was right.

“It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”