LLM Exclusive News May / What is it Like To Run A Michelin Star Kitchen? Chef Scott Paton Gives Us The Lowdown / By LLM Reporters

Having retained its Michelin star the fourth consecutive year, South Devon’s Àclèaf restaurant and its chef patron Scott Paton is no stranger to knowing what it takes to make it in the culinary world.

A highly sought-after accolade, gaining a Michelin star is no simple feat and retaining is just as challenging, but the team at Boringdon Hall Hotel’s intimate restaurant Àclèaf has achieved this once again, reinforcing its standing as one of the Southwest’s most exciting dining destinations

Located within the aforementioned historic five-star hotel in Devon, Àclèaf received its first Michelin star in 2023 and has since become a renowned name in Devon’s fine dining scene. Guests travel from across the UK to experience its thoughtfully composed tasting menus, which place local produce and modern British flavours at their core.

Àclèaf is located within the historic five-star Boringdon Hall Hotel in Devon

Recent menus have featured dishes such as pheasant with parsley root and mustard; crab with curry and mango; and chicken liver paired with Pedro Ximénez and brioche.

Seafood plays a prominent role, with dishes including brill with bordelaise and fennel; turbot with langoustine and green chilli; and scallop with pink grapefruit and Espelette pepper.

Meat dishes have included veal with morel and allium, and venison with pear and whisky, followed by desserts such as chocolate with pistachio; and honey with crème fraîche and yuzu.

Guests dining at Àclèaf can choose to enjoy a four-course seasonal tasting menu priced at £130 per person, with the option to add a wine pairing flight at £80 per person, carefully selected to complement each dish.

The restaurant also offers Roots of Our Cuisine, a seven-course tasting menu priced at £180 per person, with an optional wine pairing available at £120 per person. In addition, Àclèaf presents a special four-course celebration menu inspired by the Àclèaf Book, featuring signature dishes taken from the restaurant’s publication.

We caught up with the chef to learn what it takes to run a Michelin-starred kitchen and who his dream diners would be.

Chef patron Scott Paton and and his team at Àclèaf have retained their Michelin Star for the fourth year running

Àclèaf is one of only a handful of restaurants across Devon to hold a Michelin Star, what would you say are some unique characteristics that the restaurant holds that makes it stand out from the rest? 

The ingredients we use, the environment we have created, and the team always strive for the guest’s experience. We question everything, all the time.

How do you think your location helps when it comes to sourcing the bounty of local produce available to you? 

It has some perks, but it’s not the be-all and end-all, to be honest. It’s quality over locality for us.

Talk us through the process of building and retaining a Michelin-starred team.

Pure luck, finding like-minded, passionate people. Obviously, we have built the culture for people to thrive, but they have to be brilliant to start with.

Spring ingredients bring colours, but then autumn offers robust flavours and darker colours

What are the advantages/differences of your kitchen being part of a hotel as opposed to being a standalone restaurant? 

We are in the very fortunate position that we have built such a wonderful F&B reputation, and Àclèaf can almost function as a stand-alone restaurant within the hotel. It’s all positive really, as it allows us to capitalise on the hotel’s amenities and give our guests the perfect retreat to relax for a few days.

How would you describe your food and the dining experience to potential guests who are keen to try? 

The experience is that of which I’d like to receive: hospitable, delicious, and elegant.

Do you have a standout dish on the menu that you wish everyone would try? 

I love our turbot dish.

What are some of the seasonal ingredients you’re excited to get onto your menus? 

I love all the ingredients as they come through. Spring brings colours, but then in autumn I’m ready for some robust flavours and darker colours.

Scott says it’s quality over locality in the Àclèaf kitchen

What does a typical day look like for you? 

It can often go in different directions. I’ll always have my body of work, but that can always change with the wind throughout the day.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a chef so far?

That’s hard to say, as I see challenges more as opportunities.

If you could choose three people to come and dine at Àclèaf, who would they be? 

Tom Hanks, Gordon Ramsay, Will Guidara.

Factbox

Address: Boringdon Hall Hotel and Spa, Plymouth, Devon PL7 4DP
Website: boringdonhall.co.uk

All imagery credit: Boringdon Hall Hotel