Gone fishing: Cotswolds' hotel to reopen with a new restaurant created by Martin Burge

Martin Burge is to open a new seafood restaurant at Farncombe Estate’s boutique hotel The Fish as part of a £5m renovation project.

Launching on 6 March, Hook will serve a menu of responsibly sourced seafood dishes created by the chef – who won two Michelin stars at Whatley Manor before joining Farncombe Estate as culinary director in April of last year.

Cooked in an open kitchen, menu items including Porthilly rock oysters, poached blue chip salmon, whole baked seabass and lobster thermidor, will be served all day either indoors in the hygge-inspired restaurant, or outdoors on a terrace.

Hook seems to be the first big project for Burge following his appointment as culinary director.  The chef now oversees the food offering at the three hotels and five restaurants across Farncombe's 400-acre estate.

Following Hook’s opening, further renovations will include the additions of ten new bedrooms, three luxury treehouses and five ‘hideaway huts’.

The new rooms, designed by Trevillion, will be added to the existing Coach House, and will be available for bookings in spring.

Three treehouses, featuring underfloor heating and ensuite bathrooms designed by interior designer Hannah Lohan, will be available to book from May.

Five ‘hideaway huts’ will be completed by the summer, and will feature interiors by set decorator Marina Morris and Blackdown Shepherd Huts. 

The hotel will also be installing a ‘screening room’ in which to host film and supper nights, as well as a dog agility obstacle course and a kids’ play zone created using recycled wood.

Aside from The Fish, The Farncombe Estate currently boasts two other Scandinavian-inspired hotels, Dormy House and Foxhill Manor.