2 Michelin Star Chefs: Jeremy Chan, chef and co-founder, Ikoyi
2 Michelin Star Chefs: Gareth Ward, chef owner, Ynyshir Restaurant with Rooms
Gareth Ward is the chef and owner of two Michelin-starred Ynyshir Restaurant with Rooms in Wales
Gareth Ward is chef-owner at Ynyshir, a two Michelin star, five AA rosette restaurant with rooms in the rural heart of Wales.
Ynyshir Hall
Eglwysfach, Machynlleth, Powys, Wales SY208TA
Website: http://ynyshir.co.uk/
Tel: 01654781209
Email: [email protected]
Opening hours:
Lunch:
Thursday to Saturday starting 12:30pm
Dinner:
Wednesday to Saturday starting 5pm*
*Allow 4-5 hours for the dining experience.
Facebook: Ynyshir
Twitter: @YnyshirRest
Instagram: @ynyshirrestaurant
Biography
County Durham born and raised, Gareth started his cooking career at 16, working in kitchens in the North East before moving to Rutland to work under Aaron Patterson at Hambleton Hall.
In the five years spent in the Michelin-starred kitchen, he rose from the position of commis chef up to junior sous.
When he left Hambleton, Gareth moved back North to work at Seaham Hall, which had just gained its star. He stayed there for two years before taking his first head chef role at Hart’s Restaurant in Nottingham, a part of the Hambleton family. Whilst he worked there, Seaham was awarded the city’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award as well as 2 AA Rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide.
Gareth’s next move was to Restaurant Sat Bains. At the time, the restaurant held one star in the Michelin Guide. Gareth was there in 2011 when it earned its second.
Ynyshir
In 2013, Gareth was named head chef at Ynyshir, then called Ynyshir Hall. In his first full year, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star, then gained 4 AA Rosettes shortly afterwards, making it the only restaurant in Wales to hold the accolade at the time.
The restaurant has since been awarded 5 AA Rosettes.
In September 2016, Gareth was made chef-patron of Ynyshir, at which point he and his partner, Amelia Eriksson, general manager at the restaurant, made the decision to convert from a hotel to a Restaurant with Rooms, renaming the business ‘Ynyshir’.
In 2022, the restaurant was awarded a second star in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland.
The chef has made multiple TV appearances, including on James Martin's Saturday Kitchen Gareth and on Masterchef: The Professionals 2019, where he hosted the chef competitors during finals week. He also joined us on The Staff Canteen's Grilled podcast in 2020.
Food style
The restaurant's location between the Welsh coast and Snowdonia National Park allows Gareth to use only the best ingredients from Wales and surrounding areas - such as Welsh lamb and British shellfish - as well as sourcing the finest produce from around the world, including Japanese beef and Spanish tuna, to create a 30-serving, protein-led menu consisting of everything Gareth likes to eat.
At Ynyshir, the food is all about amplifying the flavour of the ingredients, many of which are finished on the bbq. Gareth's cuisine is heavily influenced by Japanese, Thai and Chinese cooking styles and as such his food features lots of soy and mirin.
With no alternative menus on offer, the little flexibility when it comes to dietary requirements allows the chef to cook to his heart's content, and to feed the guests the food he loves and nothing else.
Other Michelin Star Chefs
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
Support Us
CONTRIBUTE
2 Michelin Star Chefs: Gareth Ward, chef owner, Ynyshir Restaurant with Rooms
