Great British Menu chef, Andy Sheridan has been appointed Executive Chef of Craft Dining Rooms and Craft English Garden, which is due to launch in January 2020 in Birmingham.
Bringing his signature contemporary British style to the restaurant, Sheridan will continue Craft Dining Room’s dedication to serving an entirely British menu using the finest local ingredients available and focusing the offering to embrace traditional British food with a modern execution.
Sheridan holds an impressive roster of experience in top establishments across the UK and joins Craft Dining Rooms from the Stargazy Inn in Cornwall. Prior to this, he ran Sosban in Llanelli, South Wales, and also worked alongside Michael Caines at Abode in Chester at the start of his career. Sheridan won North West Chef of the year in 2011 and appeared on appeared on Great British Menu in 2018 and 2019 representing Wales.
Shining a light on local suppliers and British growers, Sheridan’s menu will champion the best quality ingredients, celebrating the seasonal produce at its finest. His signature dishes will include; Confit salmon, cucumber & butter sauce and Glazed pig, apple & squash, while main courses will feature dishes such as; Venison, beetroot & mushroom, and Plymouth cod, clam & mussell chowder, with a vegetarian option of Wild mushroom tart, truffle & onion. Indulgent desserts will include craft dining favourites Carrot Cake Trifle and Craft Surprise Souffle.
Craft Dining Rooms may have entered a new chapter, but British Sunday Roasts are a tradition the restaurant will uphold and champion. On Sundays, guests can select either Roast of the day or Fish of the day as well as a vegetarian option. There will also be a set lunch menu.
The wine list will celebrate British varieties, championing small vineyards across the UK with bottles from Kent, Devon and Sussex, amongst others. An on-hand sommelier will be available to provide detailed descriptions and expert advice about the different varieties on offer.
Announced earlier this year, Craft Dining Room’s recent partnership with Aktar Islam (of Michelin-starred Opheem, Legna and Pulperia, and previously of Lassan) marks a great step forward for the establishment who plan to launch Craft English Garden in January 2020 as well as revamp of the current dining space.
Sheridan's expertise will be a welcome addition to the team at Craft Dining Room and Craft English Garden with both sites offering the best British food and drink for the Birmingham residents.
Sheridan said, “Having met Sam, Emma and Aktar, I could see the passion they all had for Traditional British Dining, I believe together we can create and dining envision which creates a journey from the 1940’s to 2020’s, we want to ensure that the menu invokes childhood memories and excitement and whilst the offering will be considered high quality this doesn’t mean it’s not accessible, relaxed and open to all.“
Emma Morgan, Founder of Craft, said, “We are delighted that Andy has joined us to lead the restaurant moving forward and pioneer and embrace our concept of traditional British cuisine with modern execution, as a family business it’s important to us that our offering remains in line with our principles and our guests are exposed to an exciting, unique and tasty culinary journey.“