Former Michellin-starred chef to head up The Horns Inn

Former Michelin-starred head chef, Sean Wrest, is to head up The Horns Inn, a new restaurant at a historic inn near Preston set to open in March 2022.

It revealed Wrest left his role as head chef at Tommy Banks’ Roots in York last summer and since that time has been “inundated” with offers but has chosen to be part of a new chapter at The Horns Inn.

According to the restaurant, it was taken over by local building company, J Townley, which is creating a number of luxury homes and cottages around the site and decided to also invest in turning the inn into a destination restaurant. The restaurant is currently undergoing a “substantial” renovation.

The transformation has seen the creation of a 100-seater restaurant while still retaining the pub side of the business and along with lunch and dinner there will also be an afternoon tea offering.

The restaurant said Wrest will be joined by his fiancée, Sam Haigh, who is leaving her job as restaurant manager at The Black Swan at Olstead to become general manager at The Horns Inn.

Wrest is currently working on the menu which he says will bring together all of his previous culinary experiences.

Wrest said: “It was Alysia that got in touch with me first to see if I would be interested and I knew that if she was recommending it, it had to be something special – and she was right.
It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.

“I have worked in restaurants where we’ve created menus around foraging, fermenting and pickling but also where we’ve used more classical techniques and recipes. I will be bringing together everything I’ve learned over the years in what hopefully will be a really authentic and exciting offering.”