Local News Stories For Todmorden

Local Restaurant Aims To Be Yorkshire's Best

A newly appointed high-profile chef is hoping to put his Hebden Bridge restaurant on the map. Head Chef Mark Brankin, 27, who joined the town’s much-loved restaurant-cum-bar-cum-hotel Moyles in August, is aiming to make the establishment one of the best places to eat in the country, and the best in Yorkshire.

“This year we want to get up to two rosettes and the year after that hopefully we can get three,” he says. “I also want to go for Yorkshire Life’s restaurant of the year. I want to see if we can win that.”

The young chef has had a string of successes over his 11-year career, which has included working with Anthony Flinn (of Anthony’s in Leeds), leading his Flannels restaurant to a Michelin Bib Gourmand. He also helped the Marriott Hollins Hall Hotel and Halifax’s Shibden Mill Inn restaurants earn one and two AA rosettes respectively. More recently, he had the opportunity to cook for Jamie Oliver, who stayed at the hotel while shooting his Sainsbury’s Christmas commercial and loved Mark’s homemade black pudding so much that he insisted his entire crew order it.

Speaking of his experience cooking for the celebrity chef, he says that though it was an excellent opportunity to raise his profile, he wasn’t daunted by it and is more concerned with making sure he can impress the average customer, day in and day out.

“He’s going to know a lot of chefs in the industry, but it’s just like anything, when anybody comes into the restaurant, no matter who it is, you always want it to be perfect.”

Sourcing the majority of the ingredients locally and making all the food on site, including bread, ice-cream, and pastries, Mark says he joined the restaurant because of the owners’ vision and commitment to quality.

“Moyles just really stood out to me,” he says. “It’s a nice restaurant in a perfect location and great quality food. The owners are nice and they seem to want the same things as me. They give me free rein with the food. I can do what I want, which is good because I love to be creative.”

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