Darren Curson is the head chef at The Leven Restaurant at Crathorne Hall Hotel in the affluent North Yorkshire village of Yarm.
Originally the dining room of what was once a private stately residence, The Leven Restaurant, which holds a coveted AA Rossette, retains a wealth of period charm and elegance, including its high ceilings and original sash windows.
Darren’s menus at The Leven Restaurant are characterised by modern British dining, offering the best of the season with plenty of local influences. Dishes change regularly, although diners can expect to find wood pigeon from the Yorkshire Dales, Pork from Bishop Auckland, Yorkshire ham and cheeses from Harrogate.
Darren is a Michelin trained chef, a Springboard Future Chef judge and finalist mentor and recently an appointed committee member of the British Culinary Federation. He has enjoyed his full-time roles assisting in training the future generation of young chefs in nationwide competitions and working for charity gala dinners to help raise money for Keech Hospice and The Children’s Liver Disease organisation.
His career path has included some of the UK and Europe’s finest five-star hotel groups such as Exclusive, Relais and Chateuax, Elite and now Hand Picked, Michelin Star, four rosette restaurants and high volume multi outlet estates. He has also worked as a private chef for high-end clients and A-list celebrities in Canada and Hawaii, gaining valuable international knowledge and recognition.
We sat down with the talented chef to find out more about his exciting career, his inspirations and why autumn is his favourite time of year.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
I am a British chef with extensive experience in Michelin-star restaurants, five-star hotels, and as an international private chef for A-list clients. Having recently returned from Canada, I am now working at Crathorne Hall Hotel in beautiful Yorkshire with Hand Picked Hotels, helping to create a luxury five-star experience for our guests. I also mentor and judge for the Springboard Future Chefs programme and am proud to support charities such as Keech Hospice and the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation through charity dinner events at The Dorchester in London and Luton Hoo.
What, or who, inspired you to become a chef?
My passion for cooking was inspired by my grandmother, and I have fond memories of helping her bake during my childhood.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
Two key influences in my career have been Tim Neal, my former head chef, and Danny Pecorelli, managing director of Exclusive Hotels.
What’s your signature dish?
One of my signature dishes is an elevated fine dining version of my favourite sweet snack, ‘Snickers’. It’s a peanut butter parfait, peanut nougat, peanut toffee, Valrhona chocolate ice cream and a chocolate glaze.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
When crafting a menu, the most important considerations for me are fresh, local, high-quality seasonal ingredients simply presented, concentrating on flavours, textures and combinations to offer comfort and pleasure for all diners.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
My personal preferences do filter into my menus – I like to keep things healthy and nutritious, with ingredients that are packed with flavour.
How would you describe your cooking style?
My cooking style is modern European with classical influences, focusing on local, quality ingredients, careful practices and simple yet elegant presentation.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
I particularly enjoy the autumn-winter period, where cooking becomes more about comfort food, slow-cooking, deep, rich flavours, and humble, earthy ingredients.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
One of my favourite ingredients is beef cheek, which I love for its deep flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture, especially when served with a sticky glaze. I’m also a big fan of beetroot, which I use in dishes whenever possible, whether salt-baked or pickled.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
If I weren’t a chef, I’d probably be a psychiatrist! I have studied psychology a lot over the years, earning a degree. It’s always been a great passion of mine learning about why people behave a certain way and different mental illnesses and traumas.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
Favourite dish at home is different flavoured hummus and crackers.
When are you happiest?
I’m happiest when doing anything with my partner Sharron Wade, soon to be Curson.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
Favourite piece of equipment is a Paco jet. It’s just so versatile for sweet and savoury dishes.
When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?
When I’m not at work I am most likely to be found by the coast and Northumberland, it’s my happy place.
What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?
Thai or Korean is my favourite takeaway and hummus is my go to comfort food.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
As for dining out, nothing beats fish and chips with mushy peas on a beach.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
Most over hyped food trend – McDonalds.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
Local produce is always my first choice, organic, wild and seasonal as opposed to non local and farmed. Fresh is best I always say and you know what you can get on a daily basis.
How do you go about menu planning? What’s the process from picking the ingredients to getting them fresh into the kitchen and into dishes?
Menu planning is always about seasonality, top quality produce, organic or from the Crathorne Hall estate packed with lots of flavours, textures and techniques.
How would you describe the food you create at Crathorne Hall to someone who’s never experienced it?
When describing my food to a stranger, I’d say it’s comforting, earthy, and simply presented, with maximum flavour taking priority.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
Favourite flavour combination is sweet and salty.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
The unique selling point of our restaurant is it’s a comforting fine dining experience in a grand setting, accompanied by warm, friendly, and professional service.
What do your future plans entail?
My goal is to create a unique, locally focused dining experience across the entire hotel, while fostering a fun and friendly workplace.
Factbox
Address: Crathorne, Yarm TS15 0AR
Phone: 01642 700398
Website: handpickedhotels.co.uk/crathornehall
All imagery credit: Hand Picked Hotels
