The former Gidleigh Park head chef takes over from Nick Edgar, who is to leave the Michelin-starred establishment after 18 months as head chef citing personal reasons.
On the banks of Lake Windermere and to the south of Ambleside, the well-known venue has undergone a major refurbishment project. The restaurant has a new kitchen, wine cellar and chef’s table and the hotel’s 11 bedrooms have been refurbished.
Howarth, who will be in the kitchen from early October, cooked at the two-star Gidleigh Park, in Devon, for nearly two years and his CV also includes The Latymer Restaurant at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey.
“Gidleigh is such a beautiful property and I have very much enjoyed my time there but as soon as I saw The Samling it got under my skin,” Howard says of his decision to move. “Jobs like this don’t come up and I am so thankful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to get settled into this beautiful part of the UK and behind that brand new stove.”
“Peter brings a wealth of experience and talent to the role. When you combine this appointment with the major redevelopment and refurbishment that has been undertaken at the hotel it shows what an exciting future the hotel has ahead,” says The Samling general manager Alaisdair Elwick.
The hotel’s transformation comes within a period of change and investment for many boutique country hotels in the Lake District. In January, Windermere based Low Wood Bay hotel and spa closed for a £16m refurbishment, and in July the Lighthouse restaurant, also in Windermere, was bought for £1.65m. In April, hotel operator Leeu Collection bought the Linthwaite House Hotel in nearby Bowness-on-Windermere, which is now closed for refurbishment, set to reopen on 1 November of this year.