A new restaurant called Brocks is set to open at the former Harborne Kitchen site on Harborne High Street, replacing the Michelin Guide-listed venue that closed at the start of the year. The restaurant will be run by University College Birmingham (UCB) and will serve as a training ground for the next generation of chefs.
Chef line-up and culinary pedigree
Brocks will be headed by Matt Nicholls, a UCB alumnus whose culinary experience includes time at Michelin-starred Simpsons and Cheal's in Knowle. He will be joined by Liam Roe, his former colleague at Cheal's, who will take on the role of general manager. Nicholls has previously been named British Culinary Federation Young Chef of the Year and Competition Chef of the Year.
The venue will be part of the UCB restaurant portfolio, joining the Restaurant at College of Food on Summer Row and the recently opened small plates restaurant Beyond. UCB also has plans to transform The Cube hotel and restaurant as part of its wider investment programme.
Dining experience and opening details
Brocks will accommodate 60 guests across booths, high-top seating and an upstairs private dining room. It will open on Wednesday nights for dinner, with lunch and dinner services running Thursday to Saturday. Sundays will offer lunch only, with feasting menus designed for family-style service in the upstairs room.
The restaurant is named after Richard Brocklesby, a chef lecturer at UCB from 1982 until 2024. He taught and inspired a number of notable chefs, including Michelin-starred Brad Carter and Liam Dillon and TV chef Poppy O'Toole. Students will work alongside the Brocks team in the kitchen, bar and front of house to develop their skills.
Reactions and legacy
Richard Brocklesby said: "I remember starting at University College Birmingham in 1982 as it was the year that Aston Villa won the European Cup. Since then, I've had the pleasure of helping students turn promise into ability, right up until I hung up my apron in 2024, and it's been the best feeling I've experienced in my life. When I was told about the naming of Brocks, I was shocked but incredibly honoured and humbled. I'm very much looking forward to visiting and to keep supporting UCB students as they embark on their career."
Matt Nicholls commented: "I'm so excited to be rejoining the University College Birmingham family as the Head Chef of Brocks. Harborne is a vibrant village with lots of incredible restaurants and bars and we're really looking forward to becoming part of the community. We hope to give local people and visitors another space and some fantastic food and drink to enjoy. As a previous student at the College of Food, I hope I'm able to pass down the knowledge and skills I've developed since graduating to the current students. I had the pleasure of learning under chef lecturer Richard Brocklesby, so it truly is an honour that I can play a part in his lasting legacy at University College Birmingham."
David Cumberlidge, commercial director at UCB, said: "Brocks is set to be the first new restaurant opened under our investment programme, following Beyond, which will open at our Birmingham City Centre campus this autumn. We're immensely proud to have our alumni, such as Matt Nicholls, return to University College Birmingham armed with the expertise they've developed since graduation to inspire the next generation of chefs and students from the wider university programmes. Through the acquisition and investment programme, we're able to create state-of-the-art learning environments and industry-leading facilities for our students, all furthering our mission to give our students the best possible launch pad for their future careers."
An opening date has yet to be announced. Once open, Brocks will be located at 175-177 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 9QE.