Heaney and Mill: Talented chef duo return to their roots at Leeds restaurant launching new spring menu
A talented pair of young chefs have returned to the kitchen where they first met - and they’re on a mission to showcase the best ingredients.
Owen Rhodes and Ben White, both 26, have worked in some of the city’s top restaurants, including The Owl, The Man Behind The Curtain, and Crafthouse. And at the end of last year, they both returned to Heaney & Mill.
The duo first worked together at the Headingley venue in 2019. Six years later, they’re back and injecting it with a fresh burst of energy as they prepare to launch their new spring menu.
Owen and Ben explained how they quickly became friends soon after meeting in the Otley Road kitchen.
“We formed a friendship first,” said executive chef Owen. “I can always trust that he’s got my back and I’ve got his. When I returned, Ben was the first person I texted.”
That text came at a fortuitous time, as the restaurant Ben had been working in - Michael O’Hare’s Psycho Sandbar on Vicar Lane - had just closed down.
Within three months, he was back at Heaney & Mill as head chef.
Their joint return has proved a winning combination, even though their techniques vary. Ben explained: “Stylistically, we’re quite different. I think I tend to work with lighter textures and flavours.”
Owen said: “I like to cook rich dishes and make indulgent food, but there’s a harmony when we work together.”
Their upcoming spring menu, set to launch on February 24, exemplifies their complimentary approach. One such dish is the shoulder of lamb in a rich ragu sauce, with crispy pan-fried potato gnocchi, creamy and tangy goats’ curd, fresh spring peas and plenty of mint.
The dish also demonstrates their commitment to seasonality. Owen said: “When me and Ben came back to Heaney & Mill, there hadn’t been a menu change for about a year. We wanted to reintroduce the changing seasonal menus.”
Ingredients are sourced at their peak from local suppliers, and sometimes even foraged by the team themselves.
“We’ve got wild garlic on the new menu, for example, which is going in our sage velouté,” said Owen. “We’re foraging it here in Leeds.”
Ben added: “We always want every ingredient to be at its best when we’re using it. The new spring menu has a bit more finesse, but still sticks to our general ethos, which is about cooking good food that makes everyone happy.
“We’re not boxed in by any specific cuisine or style. We both have quite different palates, but we can still put out the kind of dishes that we want.”
Beyond food, the pair are passionate about making their working environment enjoyable. “There’s a stereotype associated with chefs,” said Owen. “People think they’re grumpy - but it’s not true if you can get the balance right. We’re having a laugh every day, it can be fun.”
Ben agreed: “We’re always enjoying it - and that really helps the rest of the team grow. People learn quicker if they’re actually interested in what they’re doing.”