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Glynn Purnell

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Glynn Purnell
BornJanuary 1975
Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, England
Children3
Culinary career
Cooking styleModern British
Current restaurant(s)
  • The Mount by Glynn Purnell
    Plates by Purnell's
Previous restaurant(s)
  • Jessica's 1 Michelin star
    Purnell's 1 Michelin star
    The Asquith
Television show(s)
  • Great British Menu
Award(s) won
  • Michelin star 1 Michelin star

Glynn Purnell (born January 1975)[1] is an English chef, restaurateur and television personality from Birmingham. Formerly head chef at Jessica's, he is the proprietor of The Mount by Glynn Purnell and Plates by Purnell and was until 2024 head chef at Purnell's. Both Jessica's and Purnell's were awarded a Michelin star.

Early life

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Purnell was born in Chelmsley Wood, a large council estate in north Solihull; the Birmingham Post has described him as "undoubtably the finest chef to hail from Chelmsley Wood",[2] and he calls himself the "Yummy Brummie".[1][3] His father worked in a factory, and his mother was a dinner lady.[4][5] One of four children, when he was young he used to cook for his younger brother and sister, feeding them beans on toast with curry powder and chopped onions.[6] His first experience working in a kitchen was when he did work experience at the Metropole Hotel at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre at the age of 14; when he left school, he returned there for a six-year apprenticeship.[6]

Career

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Chef

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Purnell's career in fine dining started in 1996 when he joined Andreas Antona at Simpsons restaurant, then based in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, as chef de partie.[7] While there he worked on placements with other notable chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes,[8] and at restaurants in Lyon, Montpellier and the Basque Country.[6] In 2002 he worked for six months as sous chef at Claude Bosi's Hibiscus restaurant in Ludlow, Shropshire.[8]

In 2003 Purnell was appointed to his first head chef role at Jessica's in Edgbaston, Birmingham, which in 2005 was awarded the first Michelin star given to a Birmingham restaurant and the same year was also named English Restaurant of the Year by the AA.[6]

Purnell left Jessica's in 2007 and opened his own restaurant, Purnell's in Cornwall Street, in Birmingham city centre. Purnell's was awarded a Michelin star in January 2009,[8] and itself won the AA Restaurant of the Year award in September of the same year.[9] The restaurant also won the Square Meal Best Restaurant of the Year Award in 2012.[10]

In August 2010 it was announced that Purnell would be opening a second restaurant, The Asquith, an "ambitious, neighbourhood restaurant", in the premises of the former Jessica's in Edgbaston.[11] The Asquith closed in April 2011 due to a dispute with the building's landlord,[12] and in 2015 the building was converted to residential use.[13] Purnell subsequently opened The Mount by Glynn Purnell, a gastropub in Henley-in-Arden,[14][15] and Plates by Purnell's, a tapas restaurant,[16] in Birmingham.[1]

Purnell's closed in October 2024 due to reduced bookings,[1][17] leading to complaints about worthless vouchers.[18][19]

Television

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Purnell is a regular presenter and chef on the BBC show Saturday Kitchen. He has also appeared as judge on Come Dine With Me - Champion of Champions,[20] and featured on Secret Kitchen and Great British Menu.[21] In 2017, he helmed 40 episodes of My Kitchen Rules for its third series.[22]

Books

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Purnell's 2014 Cracking Yolks & Pig Tales combines recipes with personal reminiscences,[23] and was followed by two further cookery books, Rib Ticklers and Choux-ins (2016)[24] and A Purnell's Journey: There and Back Again (2020).[25][26] He has also published two children's books, The Magical Adventures of Whoops the Wonder Dog (2018)[27] and Arnold the Alpaca (2021).[28]

Personal life

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Purnell has three children.[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Giddings, Andy; Stanczyszyn, Kathryn (14 October 2024). "Michelin-starred restaurant Purnell's closes". BBC News.
  2. ^ "Power 50 Profiles – No.14 Glynn Purnell", Birmingham Post, 30 June 2009, archived from the original on 24 December 2010, retrieved 25 August 2010
  3. ^ Case, Charlie (14 October 2024). "The Yummy Brummie's Michelin-Starred Restaurant Has Closed After 17 Years". Secret Birmingham.
  4. ^ Laws, Roz (4 November 2017). "10 things you might not know about Glynn Purnell". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ^ Young, Graham (27 March 2022). "Glynn Purnell's heart-warming tribute after death of mum Patricia - 'even the dog wouldn't eat her gravy'". Birmingham Mail.
  6. ^ a b c d Harmer, Janet (18 May 2009), Glynn Purnell, Caterer Search, retrieved 25 August 2010
  7. ^ Binns, Richard (2004), D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers (a Midlands culinary epic!) (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2012, retrieved 25 August 2010
  8. ^ a b c Chefs – Glynn Purnell, BBC Food, retrieved 25 August 2010
  9. ^ McComb, Richard (29 September 2009), "Birmingham restaurant Purnell's named England's No.1 by the AA", Birmingham Post, archived from the original on 16 October 2009, retrieved 26 August 2010
  10. ^ Evans, Nicky (27 June 2012). "Purnell's wins BMW Square Meal Best UK Restaurant award 2012". Square Meal. Monomax Ltd. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  11. ^ McComb, Richard (5 August 2010), "Glynn Purnell and Jamie Oliver to open new restaurants in Birmingham", Birmingham Post, archived from the original on 24 August 2010, retrieved 27 August 2010
  12. ^ McComb, Richard (7 April 2011). "Glynn Purnell closes Edgbaston restaurant The Asquith after dispute with landlord". Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  13. ^ Jones, Alison (29 June 2015). "Former Michelin starred restaurant transformed into luxury apartments". Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  14. ^ Sutherland, Gill (24 March 2022). "New gastropub is open for business". Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Over 1,500 people have tried to book a table at Michelin star chef Glynn Purnell's new pub in south Warwickshire". Warwickshire World. 14 April 2022.
  16. ^ Sitwell, William (12 October 2023). "William Sitwell reviews Plates by Purnell's: 'Smart tapas in need of some Spanish oomph'". Daily Telegraph.
  17. ^ Seo, Jungmin (14 October 2024). "'Purnell's has been my proudest moment': Chef Glynn Purnell closes Birmingham restaurant". The Caterer.
  18. ^ Sandiford, Josh (9 November 2024). "'My £750 vouchers are useless after restaurant closure'". BBC News.
  19. ^ Bosley, Kirsty (9 November 2024). "BBC Saturday Kitchen chef says 'sorry' after customers 'treated dreadfully'". Birmingham Mail.
  20. ^ "Glynn Purnell lands starring role in TV Show". www.whatsonlive.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  21. ^ Richardson, Andy (14 August 2017). "Glynn Purnell: I do TV but I'm just a normal dude". Express and Star. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  22. ^ Bains, Sanjeeta (21 September 2016). "Glynn Purnell exclusively reveals his big TV secret". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  23. ^ Birkett, Rosie (19 July 2014). "Book review: Cracking Yolks and Pig Tales". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Laws, Roz (20 October 2016) [14 October 2016]. "Things to do in Birmingham this weekend". Birmingham Mail.
  25. ^ Lynes, Andy (8 October 2020). "Book review: There and Back Again: A Purnell's Journey, by Glynn Purnell". The Caterer.
  26. ^ "Glynn Purnell releases A Purnell's Journey: There and Back Again". Chatting Food. 29 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Michelin star chef Glynn Purnell writes children's book". www.whatsonlive.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Glynn Purnell". Birmingham Living. October 2021.
  29. ^ "Cover interview: Glynn Purnell". Food and Travel. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  30. ^ McMullen, Marion (28 November 2013) [4 April 2013]. "Glynn Purnell: I've got the best job in the world". Birmingham Live (interview) – via Get Reading.
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