Shaun Rankin
Shaun Rankin
Born in Ferryhill in County Durham, Shaun Rankin became known for championing the incredible produce of Jersey. Now based at Grantley Hall in Yorkshire, his food displays a passion for his environment – wherever that may be – and working with the best ingredients to create simple dishes with stunning flavour.
Growing up in County Durham, Shaun Rankin knew from early adolescence that he wanted to be a chef. This decision was in part inspired by his experience helping his mother out in the kitchen as a boy, and a number of her cherished recipes – including ham hock soup – were included in his first recipe book, Shaun Rankin’s Seasoned Islands (2010).
Shaun attended catering college in Berkshire before moving to London to gain practical experience, including a period of time working at the five star May Fair Hotel. He moved to Yorkshire in 1992 to take on position as chef de partie at the Black Bull Inn in Moulton, but before long he was gaining experience all over the world including Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Fraser’s in Western Australia.
Shaun moved in 1994 to work at Longueville Manor, Jersey’s most prestigious five-star hotel. After eight years at Longueville – and the hotel’s sister restaurant, Sumas – Shaun Rankin was asked to head up the opening of Bohemia in St Helier, the capital of Jersey. Having fallen in love with the island’s way of life and unparalleled produce, Shaun thrived and the chic restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2005.
With great pride Shaun opened his own restaurant, Ormer, in 2013 after leaving Bohemia earlier that year. The restaurant, named after a seafood delicacy native to the Channel Islands, more than lived up to expectations and was awarded a Michelin star within four months of opening. He parted ways with the restaurant in November 2017 to focus purely on his London-based project, Ormer Mayfair (he left the restaurant in 2021) and is now focused on Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall in Ripon, which won a Michelin star in 2021.
Shaun’s love for the best ingredients shines through in every dish on his menus. He sources lots of his ingredients from Grantley Halls' own kitchen garden, and is a proponent of supporting sustainably-sourced local produce. Shaun's cooking style reflects the quality of his produce, and dishes are often simple in their approach to highlight the wonderful flavours of his ingredients. With quality and subtlety at the heart of Shaun’s cooking ethos it comes as no surprise that the chef’s own favourite meal is lobster and triple-cooked chips.
Despite his high levels of success Shaun has not forgotten the journey it took to get there. As a young chef he was given the chance of a three-year apprenticeship, citing this as the opportunity that changed his life. In turn, he is always taking on apprentices at Grantley Hall, hoping to provide some inspiration to young chefs at the beginning of their careers.
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