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AN INTERVIEW WITH ELLIS BARRIE
Wirral Life talk to Liverpool born, Chef Ellis Barrie. In the
depths of Anglesey, Ellis has built The Marram Grass from a
rundown garden centre potting shed to one of the UK’s most
exciting restaurants; he has appeared on Great British Menu
and is set to star in the reboot of Ready Steady Cook which
airs this month. He is also about to open his new restaurant
'Lerpwl" at the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool.
You're about to star in the reboot of Ready Steady Cook, how
did you get that gig?
I heard that the legend that is Cat Lawson was scouting for chefs
and had heard of me! She was looking at our YouTube channel
and liked what she saw. Hey diddly ho... I’m now on Ready Steady
Cook!! Great decision if I may add!
You're also about to launch a new restaurant 'Lerpwl' (Welsh
for Liverpool) in the Royal Albert Dock, you must be pretty
excited?
I can’t wait to open in Liverpool. I have always wanted to. Once the
Marram Grass gossip kicked off and we were on a few TV shows,
the opportunity and the means lined up and we had to do it!
I love Liverpool and I love food and I feel that both of those things
together are exactly what the city wants. I grew up in Liverpool
and South Liverpool was my stomping ground. I just feel so
comfortable here, it feels like my territory which makes it so much
easier for me. I know the streets and the people, and I love the
community togetherness being a Scouser has. There is no place or
no people quite like that anywhere. We all want Liverpool to keep
thriving the way it has lately.
You are a big advocate for local produce, tell us about how
you've incorporated that into what you'll be doing at Lerpwl?
We gained our reputation at the Marram Grass for using all
food and produce from Yns Mon (Anglesey). We grow our own
vegetables; rear our own pork and we educate the next generation
about food. Sourcing locally is my complete passion. We could be
solving a lot of the current issues if we were more focused on where
our food comes from and used small suppliers. The reason I say
small supplier is because it’s much easier to guarantee the source
of the produce and quality when dealing with small suppliers.
There are things we can import, but I only tend to do this when
it is a product that is of a higher quality that we cannot deliver or
isn’t available in the UK. For basics we don’t need to be buying
spuds from South Africa. It's lazy, I wouldn’t buy cheap - I’d
buy less and cut down on waste. Anyway rant over! Lerpwl will
encompass these trends but we will not solely use Welsh produce.
Don’t get me wrong, I will be feeding you with our own home-
grown vegetables and our own pork, but Lerpwl will be telling the
story of Liverpool not Yns Mon! We have a city built on strong
Celtic and Nordic roots... so tying into those communities and
how they affected our food culture in Liverpool is foremost my
ambition for the restaurant!
You got a job under Chris Marshall after your work placement
at the Radisson Blue Filini in Liverpool, when you were only
15, you then followed him to Panoramic 34, who else was an
inspiration?
Anybody and everybody who works hard to leave a legacy is my
inspiration. From my family to my friends to other people in the
food industry to business owners to charity workers. I always listen
to what is going on even if you think I’m not, and I will always be
inspired. It wasn’t until I met Charlotte and had my two children
that I found out why I was doing what I do and they now give me
drive and inspiration and maybe the excuse and justification to
carry on doing what I do!
You were 19 when you transformed an old chicken shed on the
Anglesey coast into one of the most talked about restaurants
in Wales - the 'Marram Grass' with your brother Liam, how is
that going?
The Marram Grass is bouncing! We are about to start filling up
now as the caravan and camping season about to begin. We have
just opened three double rooms to go with the restaurant so that
you can have a beautiful eight course tasting menu, stay over in
our high end rooms and then have a personal chef over in the
morning to cook you a Barrie Brothers breakfast Marram Style.
The cookery school is about to launch, and we are upscaling the
farm so we can fill two restaurants with produce and have a bit left
over to sell to other restaurants and anybody else. We have lots
happening so it’s worth keeping up to date with the social media
pages. Hold on tight is all I can say!
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