‘Out on the top’ – Mark Poynton explains Caistor Hall exit
Mark Poynton says he was keen to leave his Michelin-starred Norwich restaurant at Caistor Hall “on my terms”, adding: “Sometimes you’ve got to get out on the top.”
This week Mark announced he had resigned as chef patron of Mark Poynton at Caistor Hall, with the restaurant itself subsequently confirming it will shut its doors on August 22, 2026.
Mark Poynton at Caistor Hall opened in early 2023, going on to win a Michelin star at the ceremony in Glasgow in February 2025, as well as three AA rosettes.
Why Mark Poynton chose to leave Caistor Hall now
Mark’s exit comes a few months after catering firm Brasted’s sold Caistor Hall to corporate training provider Quadmark Group.
“Since the sale of the hotel to Quadmark, obviously that affected business a little bit because we lost the hotel rooms,” Mark explained in an interview with The Staff Canteen.
“They weren’t necessarily part of the business, but gave people more of a reason to come.
“It made it more of a destination because we had rooms there, which we didn’t take the money from, but we still had rooms.
“So we sort of dropped in numbers, but we were still busy and we were still profitable. The restaurant’s been profitable for three years.
“I don’t want this to be another story of a restaurant closing because of the climate. It’s not at all.
“For me, the restaurant wasn’t going the way I wanted it to go forward in the future.
“I wanted it to carry on pushing harder and further and better, and without the hotel rooms and that sort of stuff, we sort of lost that dynamic.
“And I wanted to go out on my terms rather than someone else’s terms, if you know what I mean? Sometimes you’ve got to get out on the top.”
He added: “I think we had an amazing three-and-a-half-year run, with Norwich’s only Michelin-starred restaurant.
“We got three rosettes, I won Eastern Daily Press Chef of the Year my first year there, which is quite big in Suffolk and Norfolk, up against the likes of Greg (Anderson) from Meadowsweet and Galton (Blackiston) at Morston Hall, when he was there. I’m up against some pretty good chefs. So it was amazing.
“We achieved amazing things in such a short period of time. It’s just, you know what, let’s go out on the top.
“I’m thankful to the team, Byron (Franklin) and all the chefs and the front of house, and Caistor Hall as it was before it got sold.
“And even Quadmark in the interim period once they bought it - they were very helpful and they were very respectful of everything we did.
“I think the timing’s right.”
Reacting to the news the restaurant will close for good later this month, Mark added: “It is sad, but these things happen.”
Praise for head chef Byron Franklin
The kitchen team was led from day one by head chef Byron Franklin, who proved a key part of the success at Caistor Hall.
“I couldn’t have done it without that team,” Mark said.
“That’s the reason I employed Byron from the beginning, because I knew we could achieve something special.
“Whatever Byron chooses to do in the future from this point forward, I know he will be successful, because he’s an amazing cook and he will be successful again.”
Mark added: “The plan always was to make it the premier dining experience in Norwich, and I think we achieved that.
“We were the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Norwich at the time, and I think only the third ever Michelin-starred restaurant in Norwich itself, after Adlard’s and Store with Liam Nichols. So that in itself was really an amazing achievement.
“That’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to do that as quick as possible, and we did it.
“I think it does leave a legacy. I think we’ve left a mark on the Norwich dining scene.
“I think people will remember what we achieved there and the standard we set, and hopefully somebody else will take on that baton and continue that going forward, because Norwich is an amazing, vibrant city with great independent restaurants, bars and pubs.
“It’s got an amazing market with an amazing food scene on it. I was happy to be a part of it for so long.
“But I’ve lived in and around Cambridge for 25 years and that’s where I am, and it’s easier for me to step away and focus on Cambridge.”
Refocusing on Ancient Shepherds
Mark, who previously held a Michelin star at Alimentum, now moves his full focus to his other restaurant, Ancient Shepherds by Mark Poynton, in Fen Ditton, just outside Cambridge.
The site first opened during the pandemic, before relaunching in 2025, already placing in the Michelin Guide.
And now he is looking to push things even further.
Mark said: “The economic climate is crap, but fundamentally, if you know how to run a business, you know how to run a business. You have to change with the economic climate as well.
“It is doom and gloom, but there are restaurants that are successful. For all the restaurants that are closing, restaurants are still opening every day.”
He added: “I spoke to Michelin before I made this decision about what I was doing.
“Focus is on the Ancient Shepherds now, so we will put our efforts in there, and hopefully we can go on and achieve some of those same goals that we achieved at Caistor Hall.
“We’re doing well. We’ve been reopened over a year now.
“We’re in the Michelin Guide, Good Food Guide on the radar, we’re already in the Harden’s Guide.
“I’ve achieved a Michelin star twice so I know the level I can cook at. It’s just now I can focus there a bit more and hopefully achieve those sort of levels of consistency again.”
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‘Out on the top’ – Mark Poynton explains Caistor Hall exit
