George Barson to leave The Beckford Canteen
The former Kitty Fisher’s and Cora Pearl launched the 40-cover restaurant in late 2022 as head chef.
His modern British menu was well-received, attracting positive reviews from national restaurant critics Grace Dent and Giles Coren.
Barson told Restaurant that there had been a couple of promising conversations about his his next move but that nothing was 100% confirmed.
“I’ve enjoyed getting Beckford Canteen off the ground and it’s been really well-received, but time for me to explore new opportunities,” he said.
Barson’s modern British menu is ‘centred around provenance and seasonality’ and include the likes of rarebit with beer pickled onions; sardines on toast; cured pig’s jowl; gurnard, shellfish sauce, sea beet; and black treacle and ginger sponge, brown butter ice cream.
Barson - who grew up in and started his cooking career in the South West - is best known for his stint at Mayfair’s Kitty Fisher’s and its sister restaurant Cora Pearl, which he launched for owners Oliver Milburn, Tom Mullion and Tim Steel in 2018.
Both the restaurants have featured in Restaurant's list of the top 100 places to eat in the UK.
Prior to joining Kitty Fisher’s Barson worked at River Cottage, Viajante, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.
