Fri 25th Jul 2014 - Noble Inns hires Neil Rankin as executive chef, outlines new brand Noble Inns hires Neil Rankin as executive chef, outlines new brand: Noble Inns, the London-based, award-winning gastro-pub operator founded by Scott Hunter, has announced the appointment of Neil Rankin as group executive chef and enlarged upon its future plans for its newest brand “Bad Egg”. Managing director Simon Holroyd: “Over the last few months we have been reviewing our expansion plans and the structure needed to compliment those plans. Asking Neil to join us on the senior management team was the logical step in ensuring our food offer is amongst the best in London. Neil has done tremendous things with Smokehouse and has a rare understanding of food, provenance and the physical dynamics of running a kitchen. We want to utilise those skills and help us continue to enhance our food offer across our businesses both present and future. Neil has now redesigned and launched a new food offer at The Princess of Shoreditch which remains very pub faced but more modern and bold in its approach.” Scott Hunter, founder of Noble Inns, added: “Our expansion will see us continue doing what we are doing and also look in new directions for our customer offer in future sites, its great to keep things interesting and Neil is just the man to help us do that. We have created a new concept “Bad Egg” that we will be launching in the City toward the end of the year. This new concept will retain all the standards and touches that have made Noble Inns great over the years but be a bar/restaurant as opposed to a pub. It will be bolder in its approach to design and food and will take a new look at how international diner food can be approached. As well as Neil’s expanded role within Noble Inns he is a partner in this new venture so we look forward to working with him for many years to come.” Neil Rankin added: “The last year with Noble Inns has been the highlight of my career so far. Smokehouse has performed better than we could have imagined and working with a company who have such strong values has been a reward in itself. I’m very proud to be working with them for the foreseeable future and taking on my new role. The Princess is a well-established business with great customers and a good reputation, so it’s exciting to look at new ways of developing the food offer. The ‘Bad Egg’ project is something that’s keeping me up at night thinking of new dishes and new ideas. I have a feeling it is going to shake things up a bit. People keep asking me what its like and I firmly believe it’s not like anything I’ve seen before.” Noble Inns was established in 2008 and currently operates the award winning gastro-pubs The Princess of Shoreditch and The Lady Ottoline which focus on delivering hearty and wholesome pub fare with excellent service standards, innovative drinks lists and guest beers. The Pig and Butcher in Islington focuses on ethically sourced ingredients, rare breads and fish caught off the south coast by day boats. Meat is butchered and hung on-site and prepared carefully and cooked on a Robata grill. Smokehouse in Islington is steered by acclaimed chef Neil Rankin who smokes, barbeques and roast his meats using sustainably sourced English Oak. Smokehouse guests can also enjoy a range of 20 draft ales from all around the world.