Chef Gareth Ward teams up with Chicken Shop

Gareth Ward will team up with the Carl Clarke-founded concept Chicken Shop on 21 June, leaving his Michelin-starred restaurant Ynyshir in rural Wales to venture to the capital. 

Introduced through a mutual friend and chef, Brad Carter, the duo bonded over a shared love of music and rave culture. Ward's kitchen at Ynyshir features a resident DJ on vinyl, reflecting his punk-rock approach to fine dining; while Clarke DJ'd his way through London in the 90s, challenging the status quo and pushing the boundaries of the industry. 

Gareth Ward x Chicken Shop

The collaboration takes inspiration from Ynyshir's Singapore chilli crab. Chicken Shop's fried chicken will be loaded with chilli crab oil, chilli crab ketchup, kewpie mayo, dill pickles and topped with a sprinkle of Japanese seven chilli spice. The idea is to combine the messy nature of fast-casual with the refined flavours of fine dining.

Ward, a born-and-bred Geordie, also nods to his hometown by championing Newcastle Brown Ale in the aptly named milkshake, 'Kinda like a salted Newcastle Brown Ale Caramel thingy'. It is a malty collision of Newcastle Brown Ale, toffee sauce, salted caramel and smashed pretzels. 

Ward – known for his open-fire cooking, focus on aged meats, use of seasonal ingredients and Japanese flavours – will bring his Michelin-level techniques to one of London's most popular fried chicken restaurants. Playing on the juxtaposition of Ynyshir's sophisticated menu against the city's chicken shop culture, the partnership aims to prove that Michelin-quality food doesn't need to be served in a fine dining environment.

"Chicken Shop is a genre-defining food brand founded by Carl, which has helped define and elevate London's chicken shop culture," says Ward. "With Carl's obsession with quality fried chicken and our love of all things electronic music and rave, it just made sense to collaborate on this. Turn Ynshir into a fried chicken burger? Why the f**k not?! It tastes so good – it's f**king outrageous!"

Clarke adds: "The only thing I'm sad about is that I didn't invent this. Much like the rave culture that inspired us, where no event is repeated, this collaboration is a one-off, limited to only 500 burgers. I'm not sure London is ready for this!"

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