From a somewhat unruly youth with no interest in cooking, Gareth Ward has amassed experience in various MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in the United Kingdom, eventually arriving at "Ynyshir" (formerly known as "Ynyshir Hall"). The Two MICHELIN-Starred and five AA roses restaurant with rooms has been named the Best Restaurant in the United Kingdom in 2022 and 2023 by Restaurant.
Born in 1981, Gareth Ward grew up in Durham County, in the north of England. As a young man, he was somewhat wayward and a picky eater, and he didn't care much for food until he entered a kitchen at the age of 16, thanks to his uncle who told him that doing so would guarantee him employment.
His first job was at "Seven Stars" in Shincliffe, which offered typical pub staples. But it didn't take long for Gareth to start enjoying the discovery of new ingredients and high-culinary techniques. He had never heard of MICHELIN-Starred cuisine until a new member of the kitchen brigade told him to investigate the Good Food Guide, to choose a restaurant in which he might have helped him get an interview to transfer to a place where he could hone his natural talent and refine his technique. His first choice was Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Chelsea, but during the trial service, Gareth realized he was not ready to work there. So, he ended up at "Hambleton Hall" in Rutland, working under Aaron Patterson.
Gareth learned all the classics and became an accomplished chef, deciding he would never work in a non-MICHELIN-Starred kitchen again. After five years, feeling homesick, he turned down a sous-chef position and moved to the newly Starred "Seaham Hall" by Steve Smith, where he stayed for about a year before the restaurant was purchased by Von Essen and he left. He reached out to his old chef Aaron and found work at "Hart’s," a sister restaurant to "Hambleton Hall," in Nottingham. He stayed there for about a year and a half before moving to "Sat Bains." There, in three years, he learned to think about flavors and how to construct a dish rather than just focusing on the mise en place; afterward, he felt ready to be a head chef and resigned.
In 2013, he ended up in Wales at "Ynyshir Hall," a restaurant in the namesake Relais Chateaux hotel, for which he earned a MICHELIN Star in 2014. After the death of the owner Joan Reen in 2016, with the approval of the new co-owner John Talbot, the hotel was renovated and converted into a restaurant with rooms, rebranded as "Ynyshir."
With just 10 rooms and a tasting menu offering a mix of dishes inspired by Wales and around the world, with exceptional ingredients, "Ynyshir" was awarded five AA rosettes in 2017, which it has maintained since. In 2019 Gareth won the Chef of the Year award from the Good Food Guide, and that same year, he and his wife Amelia became parents.
The pandemic pushed Gareth to keep "Ynyshir" focused: the number of seats was reduced, and he began to offer only a tasting menu, to concentrate on an even higher level of detail. In 2022, the restaurant was awarded its second MICHELIN Star in the Great Britain and Ireland Guide and was named Best Restaurant in the United Kingdom by Restaurant, a title it retained in 2023.
