Hotel Cateys 2024: Hotel Restaurant Chef of the Year – Shaun Rankin, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall

As chef patron of his eponymous restaurant at Grantley Hall in Yorkshire, Shaun Rankin is much more than just a name above the door. He is dedicated to being in the restaurant for every service and judges praised his hands-on approach to developing his team and retaining high standards.

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall has been a major success story since it opened in 2019. It has maintained a Michelin star since 2020 and was awarded four AA rosettes in September 2023. Chefs are tasked with serving a tasting menu to a 38-cover dining room, while the restaurant also offers two private dining experiences.

Under Rankin’s watch, dishes use local and seasonal ingredients. His ‘Taste of Home’ menu was created in homage to his childhood spent in the Yorkshire Dales and sources ingredients from within a 30-mile radius of the restaurant, including vegetables, herbs and fruit from Grantley Hall’s kitchen garden.

Rankin’s wide-ranging role includes managing budgets, overseeing rotas and staff costs, and training and development. He leads and manages a team of seven chefs and two kitchen porters, as well as working with the restaurant manager, head sommelier and 12-strong front of house team.

He is committed to the development of his team and sharing knowledge from his 20-year career in fine dining kitchens. This is delivered through daily on-the-job training, and the restaurant’s evolving menu is designed to give young chefs constant opportunities to learn new kitchen skills and techniques.

Rankin is also a champion of the wider industry. He helps to mentor young entrants through the Springboard FutureChef competition and is an ‘eat better meat’ ambassador for Farmison & Co, a Ripon-based sustainable meat supplier. In May 2024 he cooked at Hospitality Action’s fundraising dinner at the Lowry hotel in Manchester, raising more than £18,000 for the charity.

Like many restaurants, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall has had to contend with rising costs and other pressures first-hand, but Rankin has continued to fly the flag for fine dining, taking proactive steps to keep the restaurant going, such as adapting pricing and nurturing supplier relationships. After the departure of several chefs in the past year, the restaurant has adjusted to allow the kitchen to operate on a smaller team with fewer overheads, while keeping the guest experience at the same level.

It’s no surprise our judges were impressed with how Rankin has maintained high standards at the restaurant, making him a worthy winner of this award.

What the judges said

“A hands-on chef who has cut costs, increased revenues, works with Hospitality Action and focuses on team development.”

Arjeta Arapi

“Great management of growing costs in difficult times. He is driving the business forward from the pass daily through strong and direct leadership.”

Matthew Sherry