Following the appointment earlier this year of executive head chef, Richard Allen, the 5* resort in Hurworth, near Darlington, has announced a new team to manage its three restaurants.
Richard Allen has sole responsibility for The Orangery at Rockliffe Hall, with the emphasis on offering tasting menus and Michelin-standard cuisine, while Aaron Craig is now head chef in the Brasserie and Paul O’Hara has taken over the running of the Clubhouse.
The Brasserie offers bistro-style classics, such as the ‘Rockliffe Burger’ and ‘Yorkshire Dales’ Chump of Lamb’ as well as a range of healthier options including salads, soups and grilled fish dishes, while the Clubhouse specialises in gastro-pub style comfort food including dishes such as Ploughman’s Lunch, steaks, toasted sandwiches and Sunday roasts as well as an all day menu.
Both Aaron and Paul have been with Rockliffe Hall for several years and are highly-regarded in their sector having worked for the likes of Terry Laybourne, Rick Stein, Raymond Blanc and Paul Rankin at locations across the UK and Ireland.
Joining Richard in The Orangery is Shaun Corrigan who will take on the role of Old Hall manager with responsibility for overseeing service at breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner in The Orangery and the Old Hall lounges. Shaun is also a master sommelier with over 30 years’ experience at locations such as Chewton Glen in the New Forest, Sandy Lane in Barbados and the Burj al Arab in Dubai as well as restaurants across Europe, the USA and in London.
Speaking about his new role, Shaun said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining Rockliffe Hall with a new team at the helm with big plans. I am planning to enhance our service standards to offer guests the very best experience- informed yet informal- and I’ll also be looking to expand our wine offering.”
Executive head chef, Richard Allen, added: “Since joining Rockliffe Hall in January, I’ve been working with the existing team to make sure the best chefs are in the right roles as we’re always keen to develop our in-house team. Paul O’Hara and Aaron Craig excel in their fields and I am also really pleased to welcome Shaun to Rockliffe Hall who has some fantastic experience spanning a thirsty-year career to date.”
Richard Allen is one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs and has held a Michelin star since 2011, as well as three AA Rosettes for eight years. He also has two of the highest industry accolades to his name- the Cateys’ Head Chef of the Year 2012 and the Craft Guild of Chefs Restaurant Chef of the Year 2012. Richard is also one of the only chefs to have been named as one of Debrett’s People of Today.
Since taking over as executive head chef of The Orangery, Richard has developed a new menu featuring a host of new dishes which make best use of seasonal and regional produce, as well as some from Rockliffe Hall’s 365 acre estate.