Food and Drink > Greig Barnes - Head Chef at The Spread Eagle, Sawley

Greig Barnes - Head Chef at The Spread Eagle, Sawley

Greig Barnes was born in 1971 in Preston and trained at the town's then W R Tuson College. First placements included The Belfry Hotel and Stanneylands Hotel in Wilmslow, Middlethorpe Hall in York followed by an overseas trip to France with Pierrette Sarran at Auberge du Bergerayre and Michel Guérard at Eugénie-les-Bains. Returning to England Greig furthered his career at the Michelin starred Heathcotes Restaurant, Longridge working alongside Paul Heathcote where he continued to develop and fine tune his culinary skills. August 1992, Greig then joined the team at The Rose and Crown in Tring and quickly climbed the ranks to Head Chef. Although only 22 at the time he said he was not daunted by his new responsibilities of running the kitchen of this 27 bedroomed privately owned hotel.

The Spread Eagle, Sawley

Michelin star chef/proprietor Stephen Doherty bought The Spread Eagle at Sawley in 1997 and head hunted Greig to be the Head Chef for this riverside country inn. Greig helped to establish The Spread Eagle as one of the industry's leaders in less than 2 years proving that given the right working environment, a keen talented and naturally enthusiastic individual can flourish as an example to his craft.

Awards

Nigel and Ysanne Williams bought The Spread Eagle in 2000, the same year in which Greig became an Acorn winner in the 'Hotel and Caterer Magazine'. The Spread Eagle has gone on to pick up a number of prestigious awards including Lancashire Life Restaurant of the Year, the Morning Advertiser Best Food Pub 2005, Lancashire Dining Pub of the Year 2004 (Good Pub Guide), and in October 2006, 'Taste Lancashire' Highest Quality Assured.

Greig takes his influence from Lancastrian fare and one of his trade mark dishes is Braised Neck End of Lamb served with layers of Buttered Potatoes, Thyme Roasted Onions, Spiced Red Cabbage and its Rich Cooking Juices - the classic ingredients for Lancashire Hotpot. Greig enjoys working with a variety of produce, 'I'll try anything" he enthuses and it was this attitude that saw The Spread Eagle pick up the 'Innovation of the Year' for 'Blind Dining' at The Savoy, London in November 2005.

Guide Books

The Spread Eagle can be found in most good food guide books including Michelin Red Book, Harden's Top UK Restaurants, Time Out and Which? Good Food Guide.