MasterChef runner-up Matt Healy announces latest hometown venture

Chef and former MasterChef contestant Matt Healy has announced the upcoming launch of his third restaurant project in his hometown of Leeds.

Matt and his team Seventh Course Ltd will take over The Beehive pub in Thorner near Wetherby, which will reopen this summer as a gastropub concept.

The project marks the third Leeds venture for the chef, who was a runner up on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2016, following the launch of two restaurants in the area in 2018.

The South Bank area of the city saw the opening of restaurant Matt Healy x The Foundry in May, followed by the launch of Grön Kafe in the Leeds suburb of Oakwood in September.

Matt, who was born in Horsforth, said: “The Beehive is obviously a well-known name in north Leeds but we’ll be changing it up, shifting the concept towards a gastropub feel within a beautiful village pub, serving simple pub classics with a modern twist and hopefully creating a welcoming, friendly venue that will become a hub of the community.

“We’ve been working on our business plan behind the scenes for several years now, and to see it come to fruition is fantastic. The people of Leeds have been so supportive, and it’s their feedback and encouragement that motivates us to keep pushing ourselves.