Liam Dillon: 1 Michelin Star Chef at The Boat

Liam Dillon is chef patron of The Boat in Lichfield, the restaurant awarded one Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026.

He is also behind The Two Pigs in Barton-under-Needwood, the neighbourhood pub that has quickly built a reputation of its own, earning two AA Rosettes and a place at number 82 in the Top 50 Gastropubs list within its first year.

The name of that second site reflects the start of Liam’s wider sustainability journey at The Boat.

When Liam bought The Boat in 2017, it was a roadside pub.

Since then, he has transformed it into a Michelin-starred restaurant with a working micro-farm supplying much of the produce used in the kitchen. That journey from local pub to Michelin-recognised destination has become central to the identity of both Liam and the restaurant.

Early career and background

Liam’s career has taken him through some of the UK’s best-known restaurants, as well as leading kitchens overseas, before returning to his home region to build something of his own.

He began his career in London, working with Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, before spending time at Five Fields in Chelsea and Story in Bermondsey.

Those kitchens gave him a strong grounding in modern fine dining and helped shape the technical precision that still underpins his cooking today.

His development then continued internationally, with stages and roles at Quay in Sydney, Noma in Copenhagen, and Eleven Madison Park and Gilt in New York.

That experience exposed him to a broad range of ideas around produce, seasonality, creativity and restaurant culture, helping refine the style he would later bring back to Staffordshire.

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The Boat and Liam Dillon’s approach

After returning home, Liam launched The Boat and began building a restaurant that would reflect not only his fine dining background, but also his commitment to sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Over time, that vision expanded far beyond the kitchen. During the pandemic, Liam developed the site’s farm to include beehives for honey and pollination, pigs to help provide meat and reduce waste, hens for eggs, and vegetable patches and polytunnels to support year-round growing. Unique crops such as cicely and wasabi have also become part of the project.

An aquaponics system has also been a long time in development at The Boat, creating a connected ecosystem in which fish are farmed and the by-product is used to feed and grow crops.

In a landlocked county, that ambition stands out. The aim is to grow trout for use in the restaurant, fed on organic feed, as part of a wider model that is unusual not just for the region but for restaurant operations more broadly.

Liam Dillon next to his Michelin 2026 plaque and also with a pig

Cooking style at The Boat

That work on the land feeds directly into Liam’s food. At The Boat, the menu is shaped by what is available, with produce from the farm sitting alongside other locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.

The result is a style of cooking that is both refined and rooted. Menus change regularly, with lunch offered à la carte and more detailed tasting menus allowing the kitchen to showcase the depth of its produce-led approach.

Liam’s background in top-level kitchens is evident in the technique, but the restaurant’s real identity comes from how closely the food is tied to its own environment.

Michelin star at The Boat

In February 2026, The Boat was awarded its first Michelin star. The recognition marked a major milestone for Liam and for a project that has grown steadily and distinctively since 2017.

The award also confirmed the success of Liam’s long-term vision for the site. Rather than simply creating another ambitious restaurant, he has built a destination with a clear point of difference, one where sustainability, farming and fine dining all work together as part of the same story.