Michelin mention is icing on cake for chef
APUB taken over by a young Cornish chef just as the pandemic kicked off has been added to one of the most prestigious restaurant guides.
Former restaurant head chef Tim Kendall, 29, and wife Terri took the reins of the Barley Sheaf at Gorran (pictured right) in January, 2020.
In just under two years, they have gone from novice publicans to the owners of a place in the Michelin Guide.
As with anyone else who took on a pub at the start of what turned out to be the strangest year in many of our lifetimes, Tim said it has had its ups and downs.
“Hardly anyone knows about the pub,” Tim said. “It’s right in the sticks of Gorran, on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula.
“It’s a community pub, more than anything else, but food is my speciality and we source everything locally.”
The pub, Tim explained, is oozing in history. It is Grade II listed, of Victorian origin, and even has antiques from the original St Austell Brewery to add to the vibe.
Two months after Tim and Terri took on the 19th century pub, they were faced with the toughest challenge pubs have faced in years. Tim recalled: “We 100% had some scares, just before the first Covid lockdown.
“That week, on March 23, I just kept refreshing the page to find out what was happening, but I knew there was a lockdown coming.
“Everyone was asking how I was. I knew there were going to be solutions, because we had to do something, but it was scary.”
Even at the end of that first crucial year, Tim said, things were not exactly easy. He added: “We’re really fortunate; if you look after your community, they look after you.
“In lockdown we did takeaway, BBQ food and that sort of thing. With that, they looked after us, but New Year 2020, we lost five or six thousand pounds. We had to chuck four grand worth of beer down the drain.
“Luckily, this year, because we didn’t have restrictions, people did come out.”
When he first took it on, the pub was a well-loved place but not one with a reputation for food. Using experience he gained working under Guy Owen at The Idle Rocks hotel in St Mawes, a job he left to run the Barley Sheaf, Tim wanted to make the most of the stunning setting and local produce.
“The pub didn’t have the best food reputation,” Tim explained, “but it has always been a lovely community pub, used by a lot of farmers and fishermen.
“From my background, food is where I specialise. I created a menu acceptable for the village which brought in different clientele, which I think the Michelin Guide enjoyed.
“It’s pub food done well, but with some more refined options too.”
Tim said his plan was to make it a destination pub, and one which might put Gorran on the map in a big way.
For food, Tim said he wants to celebrate what makes him love the area. He added: “We went as local as possible, only sourced locally. We only use local veg, gardeners – members of the parish bring up green beans and veg which we use. We use a farmer in Par for our beef, another in Menheniot for the lamb, and we have a fisherman who brings in his catches, too.”
Going local, in Tim’s view, is the most important thing – and not just for food. “Community pubs are so important now, more than ever,” he said, “but it’s all about ambience and environment. There are places where you walk in and the landlord looks like he’s had the worst day, or you’re stared at, but we have nice music, nice staff.
“We always say we’re creating hospitality, not service – anyone can lay a table, pour a drink. The hospitality side is more important.”
As with any new restaurant or pub owner, Tim said he has had to adjust to everything from a staffing crisis in summer to negative TripAdvisor reviews.
After just shy of two years, in spite of the pandemic, the young chef and his team have made the gastropub into something which has caught the attention of the Michelin Guide, while keeping it a place for the locals.
The Michelin Guide, which collates pubs, restaurants, and cafes that serve particularly great food, has added the Barley Sheaf to its ranks alongside familiar names like Hooked On The Rocks, Fish House Fistral, Kota Kai and, of course, the restaurants of Paul Ainsworth and Rick Stein.
It has also been nominated for a Trencherman’s Award for best pub, with Tim himself also on the shortlist for best chef. The pub will be closed until January 25 for refurbishment, and a post-Christmas break for staff, but Tim said it will be back with a vengeance.