Cooking every day from Denmark’s wild west coast at Henne Kirkeby Kro. Chef & Wanderer, proud author & photographer. Born in Essex, England 1969. Schooled and trained as chef at various British restaurants and country house hotels. Then he met Lene, a beautiful Danish girl, and moved with her to Korsør, Denmark in 1994. Worked at Søllerød Kro, Formel B, Coquus, co-owner of The Paul – Tivoli Garden in Copenhagen – and since 2012 head chef at Henne Kirkeby Kro.
The menu at Henne Kirkeby Kro is jam-packed with explosions of flavour that make even the most battle-worn restaurant critics’ mouths water. The British-Danish creative genius garnered his first Michelin star in 2016 and his second just a year later, through signature creations like garden potatoes and leeks with crispy Gillardeau oysters, scallop-and-lobster cannelloni in smoked butter sauce, and pan-seared turbot with oxtail and pearl onions in a red wine reduction.
Cunningham discovered his love of cooking at places like Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter under chef Clive Dixon, the up-and-coming culinary talent moved to Denmark for love in the mid-90s. It must have been destiny, because the Frozen North is where Cunningham’s career really started to take off. He started off as a fish cook, working his way around the Danish culinary landscape, and then landed his first head chef job in Copenhagen. At Søllerød Kro, one of the country’s first Michelin-listed restaurants, the unpretentious chef let his talent shine through. Finally, in 2003, Cunningham opened a restaurant of his own in Copenhagen, calling it The Paul. His purist flavour-forward cuisine netted him a Michelin star just a few months later. The Paul became a popular gathering spot for Danish royals, politicians and other celebrities.
In 2012, he landed at Henne Kirkeby Kro on the Western coast of Denmark, a wonderful thatched coaching inn, over 200 years old, with only 12 rooms at Henne and just 12 tables throughout 3 tiny dining rooms. The heart of the idyllic property is undoubtedly the 4,000-square-meter farm, where Cunningham and his team keep bees, grow fruit and vegetables, and raise lambs, pigs, chickens, and rabbits. The place also has direct access to Denmark’s largest private island, which supplies Cunningham with wild herbs, mushrooms, and game. Henne Kirkeby Kro has its own production facilities, and processes practically all of its own food.
Paul is the restaurant’s creative mind, working alongside general manager Garrey Dawson, a former 3-star chef himself, and the Flemming family’s sons, Martin and Simon. Cunningham says his relationship with Dawson has been critical to his success. Their working relationship is based on mutual understanding and creative freedom. Paul is a wizard in the restaurant with a commanding, warm welcome who serves wholesome earthy food that demonstrates simplicity in its cleverness.
The restaurant received its first Michelin star in February 2016, and its second in February 2017.
