Moor Hall's Mark Birchall wins coveted AA Chefs' Chef Award at Hospitality Awards

The ceremony awarding the AA Hospitality achievements for 2022 took place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London, and Mark Birchall, originally from Chorley, was among the top chefs to successfully win a prestigious award.

The Chef Patron of Moor Hall, Aughton, Mark was awarded the coveted AA Chefs’ Chef Award.

Since opening five years ago, Mark has secured Moor Hall's reputation as one of the UK's best restaurants, achieving five AA Rosettes, and an additional three AA Rosettes for the Barn.

The Chef’s Chef prize won by Mark offers all AA Rosette-awarded chefs the chance to decide which of their peers deserves the ultimate recognition of their performance over the past twelve months. The unique award, introduced in 1996 and sponsored by Caterer.com, is a popular and coveted title.

Born in Chorley, Lancashire, Mark Birchall trained at Runshaw College in Leyland and was previously Executive Chef of L’Enclume. Mark also won the Roux Scholarship in 2011, and he then staged at El Celler de Can Roca, Girona.

Mark is now Chef Patron at Moor Hall, which under his patronage has been awarded five AA Rosettes. Moor Hall was also crowned ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2021, retaining the title from previous years.

Mark Birchall commented: “Thank you so much. It means a lot. It’s lovely to be among so many people. I’m very lucky I’ve got a great team around me.”

Returning with an in-person ceremony for the first time in three years, and hosted by TV presenter Gabby Logan, the awards honoured the best hospitality establishments in the UK across twenty-six categories, including AA Restaurant of the Year, AA Hotel of the Year, the newly launched AA Accessible Award, AA Spa Hotel of the Year, AA Wine Award, AA Chefs’ Chef, AA Lifetime Achievement Award and AA Housekeeper of the Year.

Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Media said: “We are delighted to honour Mark Birchall with the AA Chefs’ Chef award at the AA Hospitality Awards this year. We would like to congratulate Mark for his hard work and determination over this year, and the last 20 years of his career.

“It was great to be back at Grosvenor House after three years and to celebrate the greatest hospitality establishments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The past few years have been incredibly tough for the hospitality sector, from lockdowns to travel restrictions, supply chain issues to the rising cost of living, but these awards have highlighted how our industry, time and time again, has worked tirelessly to overcome adversity and create unforgettable experiences for the public.

"We would like to congratulate all the winners and shortlisted establishments for their hard work, passion and dedication to providing hospitality to the highest standards.”

Just last week Moor Hall was named the Best Restaurant in England in the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2022.