With one of the UKโs longest-held Michelin stars to its name, Morston Hall country house hotel appeared to have assembled the perfect ingredients of its celebrated chef staying on to manage the kitchen after selling the business to an enthusiastic new owner.
But the combination only cooked up a storm โ with proprietor Henry Elworthy revealing the relationship curdled some months ago and executive chef Galton Blackiston has left.
In a stinging appraisal, hotel and real estate investor Mr Elworthy accused his former collaborator of acting like a โchild in the kitchenโ and allowing the quality of the food to decline following the change of hands last year.
But supporters of Mr Blackiston โ who has declined to comment โ have pointed out that the restaurantโs run of 26 consecutive years with the coveted Michelin star was extended again just weeks before he went. It also has four AA Rosettes.
Mr Elworthy, who took over the 17th century listed 13-bedroom hotel in upmarket Blakeney, Norfolk, in April last year said: โI agreed with Galton for him to stay on as executive chef after a bought it.
โBut when I bought the business from him, he just lost interest. Our public reviews in the summer were just awful.
โGalton was driving the kitchen downwards. It was like having a child in the kitchen. We ended up parting ways in November.โ
It is claimed there was an increase in three-star reviews or lower online between the sale and Mr Blackistonโs departure.
Michelin-starred chef Galton Blackiston left 17th century country house hotel Morston Hall in November
A one-star TripAdvisor review in June complained the restaurant was โas far away from being a Michelin-starred experience as it is possible to beโ.
The food was still โexceptionalโ, according to a three-star review, but โthe service didnโt matchโ.
There were five-star ratings, however, with one visitor hailing the food and service as โimpeccableโ and โworthy of a Michelin starโ.
Mr Elworthy also claimed the hotel and restaurant were โstruggling financiallyโ when he took the helm, with revenue having dropped 20 per cent in the first quarter of last year.
He went on to say Mr Blackiston โdidnโt want the business to survive without himโ, adding: โIf he couldnโt have it, no one could.โ
One alleged unwanted intervention was switching front-of-house staff onto four-day contracts.
โThey were on full-time contracts, working 45 hours a week across five days and they got switched to 45 hours across four days,โ Mr Elworthy fumed.
โThey used to work 4pm until midnight, five days a week, and that was quite an efficient use of time because guests would arrive late afternoon for dinner. You would have your morning team start at 7am and leave at 4pm.
Mr Blackiston had co-owned and run the venue with his now ex-wife, Tracy, since 1992ย
The hotel and restaurant, set in upmarketย Blakeney in Norfolk, is now owned byย hotel and real estate investor Henry Elworthy
โOn a four-day week, my morning team were coming in at 7am and finishing at 6am, which is silly because my evening team would come in at 1pm and finish at midnight to use up their hours.
โI was paying two teams from 1pm to 6pm when there were no guests in the hotel. By putting everyone on a four-day week, they essentially increased my front of house payroll by 20 per cent because I had to cover an extra day with overtime.โ
Contracts reverted to five-day weeks in December, he added.
Mr Elworthy added: โI don’t think there are enough pages in the Daily Mail to describe by problems with Galton Blackiston.
โFollowing Galton’s departure six months ago, we have assembled a new team of remarkable people who bring skill, imagination, and an infectious love of what they do to a menu that changes constantly – at what remains one of the longest-held Michelin stars in the country and an institution of culinary excellence.
โThat brilliance is reflected in our recent guest feedback, which anecdotally describes the food at Morston as the best it has been in years.
โPaired with our recently renovated bedrooms, this is a very special moment in Morston Hall’s long history.โ
Phil Kearsey was brought in as executive chef in November, following a period at another feted Michelin-starred venue, Pied a Terre in London.
Phil Kearsey was brought in as executive chef in November, following a period at another feted Michelin-starred venue, Pied a Terre in London
The current eight-course taster meal costs ยฃ145 and includes truffled Orkney scallop with garden celeriac, celery and sauce vin jaune, as well as Merrifield duck with pastilla, blood orange, dukkah, bitter leaves and pain-dโepices.
A six-glass wine flight to go with it is ยฃ95 and the cheese board is ยฃ17.50 extra.
Mr Blackiston, who also owns an award-winning fish and chip shop called No. 1 in Cromer, co-owned and ran Morston Hall with his now ex-wife, Tracy, from 1992.
The venueโs glowing entry in the 2024 Michelin guide states: โA few bites in and itโs patently obvious that Galton Blackiston is a chef with deep knowledge and appreciation of the great produce found in Norfolk.โ
The chef, whose career began selling baked goods at Rye Market in East Sussex before learning his trade in Lake District kitchens, declined to comment when approached by the Mail.
But a source said: โThe restaurant kept its [Michelin] star for the 27th year running.
โHe was there on the night of the Michelin inspection. That says everything.โ
The property, which was built in 1640 for the Townshend viscounts of Raynham Hall, who have lived in the area for nearly 900 years.
The property is not nationally listed by Historic England, meaning planning permission would not normally required for alterations.
But Mr Blackiston fell foul of planning rules in 2023 when he installed a walk-in fridge in a wooden structure outside as he wasnโt aware that North Norfolk District Council had applied โlocally designatedโ status in 2019 due to the hotelโs โaesthetic valueโ.
He applied for retrospective planning permission but this was refused by the local authority, which added the fridge exceeded acceptable noise levels.
Mr Blackiston said at the time: โWhen it bought it, it was under certain regulations which makes it the quietest thing you could hear.
โThroughout our whole time here, weโve always tried to do things the best way we can. Why would I want an eyesore outside my hotel?โ
