Mark Birchall, chef/patron, Moor Hall: ‘We’re all about making an unbelievable guest experience’

Originally from Chorley, Lancashire, two Michelin-starred chef, Mark Birchall gained his first work experience in a professional kitchen as a teenager. This, along with surges of TV programmes such as Ready Steady Cook and “Rhodes around Britain,” hosted by chef Gary Rhodes, sparked Mark’s interest in a career in hospitality.

After completing his training at Runshaw College, Mark went straight to Michelin-starred The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny to gain some experience with chef Shaun Hill. Mark then worked at Northcote for five years under Nigel Howarth. Nigel quickly became a mentor and influenced Mark’s career. “His meat cooking was unbelievable, his butchery was fantastic, and his passion for locality stood out,” Mark says.

Mark then went to work with Simon Rogan at L’Enclume for almost a decade. Progressing through the ranks at the three Michelin-starred restaurant to executive chef. When Mark first joined L’Enclume, he remembers it was “quite a step up”. Mark describes the food as “good fun and quite avant-garde”, over his nine years at L’Enclume, “it slowly developed into more of a farm, farm to fork sort of ethos”.

During his time at L’Enclume, Mark entered and won the Roux Scholarship competition [2011]; as part of his prize, Mark chose to complete a three-month stage at the Three Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca, Spain. When reflecting on his reasons for choosing this operation, Mark said, “I chose this as it was a relatively new three-star and, between the three brothers [Joan, Josep and Jordi], there was always a presence in the kitchen, which was important to me. Their ethos, culture and food interested me, and I was given lots of opportunities to dine at other great Spanish restaurants – travelling frequently to Barcelona or further afield.”

Making Moor Hall

Starting life as a private house, Moor Hall was acquired by Andy & Tracey Bell in 2015 and has undergone a multi-million pound renovation.

“If you were sitting here nine years ago, you were sitting on a lawn. There was no restaurant here,” Mark reflects. “Seeing everything develop from just the house to this restaurant now is incredible,” Mark adds.

Mark admits he “wasn’t necessarily looking for a property of this stature”. But after spending months “looking at the high street, Indian restaurants, pubs, barns and fields, all sorts of stuff”, something about Moor Hall stood out.

“The first time we looked at it, I thought, wow, this is too big a project,” Mark recalls. Something caught his eye, though, and he went back a second viewing, and it was then that “we all thought it was achievable”.

Mark’s gut instinct wasn’t wrong, but it was well worth it. “Turns out it was a big project, but it was amazing to see everything developed,” says Mark. In nine short years, Mark and his team have completely transformed Moor Hall, gaining its first Michelin Star in its first year of opening; the second Michelin Star followed in 2018, which it has retained ever since.

Today, Moor Hall also holds a Michelin Green Star, five AA Rosettes and was ranked third in the Top 100 list at The National Restaurant Awards 2024.

When Mark is asked to describe Moor Hall, he says, “[It’s] a dining destination with rooms. Although on six acres, Moor Hall is actually a relatively small restaurant. The team does around 40-45 covers over lunch and dinner, over eight services a week.”

It’s not about labels

While it’s hard to categorise Moor Hall’s precise style, Mark says what’s important is how the team treat their guests during their stay, whether it’s for a meal or overnight. “We’re all about making an unbelievable guest experience,” says Mark. “I don’t like putting labels on what we are or what we do.” Mark comments, “We’re just about looking after our guests.”

Looking back to the early days of Moor Hall, Mark comments, “When you open a restaurant, it’s very difficult”. But “Each day, each week, each month gets easier, you get better at delivering the guest experience,” says Mark. The struggles never completely go away; they simply evolve. “The challenge is finding the balance between maintaining pressure and delivering the best guest experience to the highest level,” he adds.

A taste of Lancashire

Mark’s passion for Moor Hall is evident: “To have this restaurant in my home county of Lancashire is a dream come true.”

Mark and his team are passionate about the produce they use on the menu. As many ingredients as possible are grown within Moor Hall’s five-acre landscape and harvested daily for use in the kitchens. Items that can’t be grown are sourced locally from the West Lancashire region wherever possible.

Not long after opening, Moor Hall expanded its dining venues by creating The Barn. The original idea was to build a cookery school there, but after seeing it wasn’t feasible, the team decided to turn it into its very own destination restaurant.

“It’s a great neighbourhood restaurant, [it’s] really buzzing in there… it really is a fantastic place,” says Mark. With its set menu and a la carte options, Moor Hall is all about giving its guests choices. “It gives a really lovely offering for everyone…and guests appreciate it,” says Mark.

What’s next?

Cheese is a big part of what’s to come in 2024. Moor Hall is developing its cheese offering this year by making its own varieties. Always part of its plan, after carrying out lots of trials, “this is one of the main things for us this year”, Mark shares.

As for the two-starred Michelin venue’s future beyond this year, it’s all about continuing to excel and surpassing what it’s doing today. “The future is to carry on and to keep delivering, to get better…as we always have done,” says Mark.