The art of great hospitality: Pride of Britain Hotels introduces some of its star chefs

With every Pride of Britain hotel rightfully proud of its culinary excellence, here we spotlight some of the hotels’ most innovative chefs: 

Hrishikesh Desai – Executive Head Chef, Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Windermere

Having recently been the star of BBC 2’s Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial, Hrishikesh scooped first prize with his appointment as Head Chef at the Lake District’s family-run Gilpin Hotel & Lake House.  The talented chef – winner of the Roux Scholarship and the Craft Guild of Chef’s National Chef of the Year in consecutive years – offers a unique blend of business acumen, skill and creativity. The seven-course Tasting Menu is priced at £143 pp (including wine flight) and an overnight stay at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is from £265 per room (two sharing) including breakfast.

John Williams – Head Chef, Bodysgallen Hall, North Wales

John Williams has recently been appointed Bodysgallen Hall’s Head Chef for a second time, his first stint at the hotel having been in charge of the kitchen from 2003-2007. His many accolades include earning a Michelin star and having held 3 AA Rosettes continuously for over a decade – an achievement that rewarded him with an impressive Master Chef of Great Britain fellowship.  Happy to be back on home turf, John uses seasonal ingredients such as Welsh Bass, Corn Fed Slow Poached Pigeon and Scallops Seared with Curry Spices combined with estate-grown ingredients such as wild garlic and rhubarb.  The three-course dinner menu, served in the hotel’s historic 17^th century Main Hall, is £49 pp and an overnight stay at Bodysgallen Hall is from £179 per room (two sharing) including breakfast and full use of the Spa.

Nathan Outlaw and Pete Biggs – Outlaw’s at The Capital, Knightsbridge

Michelin-starred restaurant Outlaw’s at The Capital has been instrumental in bringing the freshest fish to Londoners’ plates, and this has been largely due to the close partnerships that the restaurant has forged with Cornish fishermen.  Masterminded by Nathan Outlaw and Head Chef Pete Biggs, sustainably-caught fish is sourced from the Cornish coastline and transported to Knightsbridge in a matter of hours.  Nathan’s deliberately short and ever-changing seasonal menus feature the catch of the day with some inventive twists. Verjus is currently Nathan’s ingredient of choice: a product made from organic, unripe grapes from the Loire Valley Winery Levin Wines, and the perfect poaching liquid for fish. The three-course Seasonal Menu is priced at £55 pp and an overnight stay at The Capital is from £300 per room (two sharing) on a room-only basis.

Nigel Haworth – Chef Patron, Northcote, Lancashire

Northcote’s Lancashire born-and-raised Chef Patron Nigel Haworth gained his Michelin star in 1996, and has successfully retained it to this day. Nigel’s carefully-constructed menus – put together in conjunction with talented Head Chef Lisa Allen – reveal his experimental approach and include dishes such as Morels, Custard, Duck Liver, Smoke. Menu options range from the seven-course Tasting Menu to the engaging Chef’s Table where 8-12 guests dine on five tantalising courses whilst watching the kitchen in action.  The Tasting Menu is £88 pp and the Chef’s Table £165 pp.  An overnight stay at Northcote is from £260 per room (two sharing) with breakfast.

Gary Durrant – The Arch, London

Head Chef Gary Durrant at The Arch’s Hunter 486 is a classically-trained chef with many years’ experience in exceptional high-end dining. Gary spent the first ten years of his career honing his skills at the world-famous Savoy, before moving on to work in several Michelin star kitchens in both France and London.  The restaurant’s new menu has been carefully developed by Head Chef Gary and is inspired by popular British recipes.  The crowning glory is the use of the stone oven as its very high heat produces astonishingly succulent meat and fish such as whole Roast Norfolk Black Free Range chicken – just one of the many specialities. The à la carte menu features starters from £8.50 and main courses from £16.00.  An overnight stay at The Arch is from £250 (two sharing) on a room-only basis.

George Blogg, Head Chef, Gravetye Manor, West Sussex.

George has certainly got himself noticed since he was first appointed at Gravetye Manor in 2014. Having previously worked under Phillip Howard of the Square in Mayfair and David Everitt-Matthias of Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham, an Acorn Award winner and ‘Chef to Watch’ in the Good Food Guide 2014, he has already secured 3 AA Rosettes for his use of fresh ingredients, flavoursome food and subtle modern techniques. The hotel’s impressive oval-walled Victorian kitchen garden, one of the few remaining in the world, provides almost 90% of the kitchen’s fruit, vegetables and herbs during peak season, and there are also rich pickings to be had from the hotel’s 1,000 acre Sussex estate, glass houses, orchards and woodland. Menus are continuously changing with the seasons and may include dishes such as a Gravetye Smoked Salmon, Herb Crusted Saddle of South Downs Lamb and Acorn Crème Brûlée. The three course Seasonal Menu costs £65 pp and an overnight stay at Gravetye Manor is from £260 per room (two sharing) including full English breakfast.

Matthew Tomkinson – Head Chef, The Montagu Arms, Beaulieu

According to Head Chef and Roux scholar Matthew Tomkinson, “The New Forest is my larder – and what a larder it is”. One of Hampshire’s most sought-after dining experiences, The Terrace Restaurant at The Montagu Arms delivers a wonderful array of flavours and textures using the finest local ingredients.  Highlights include dishes such as Escalope of Wild South Coast Sea Bass with Watercress, Garden Artichoke Purée, Serrano ham and Red Wine Sauce and Prune and Armagnac Soufflé with Brown Bread and Cinnamon Ice Cream.   The six-course Tasting Menu is from £90 pp (excluding wine) or £140 pp (including a Classic Wine Pairing) and an overnight stay at The Montagu Arms is from £219 per room (two sharing) including breakfast.

The Pride of Britain collection of independent hotels spans the UK.  Admission to the group is subject to each hotel successfully passing an anonymous overnight inspection and a ballot of the membership. The consortium is limited to a maximum of 50 hotels to guarantee quality and exclusivity.

To book an overnight stay, and for the best available price, call Pride of Britain Hotels on 0800 089 3929 (www.prideofbritainhotels.com).