Gilpin makes three new chef appointments

Tom Westerland, Ollie Bridgwater, and Aakash Ohol will join the hotel and will work across Gilpin’s fine dining restaurant HRiSHi, which will be renamed, the Gilpin Grill, which will also be renamed, and Gilpin Spice.

Bridgwater, who has worked as a sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck for five years, will be executive chef at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant while Ohol, previously sous chef at HRiSHi, will become head chef at Gilpin Spice.

Westerland, who has worked as head chef at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa for six years and was formerly head chef at Ember at Crockers in Henley-on-Thames will head up the kitchen at Gilpin’s newest restaurant, Gilpin Grill at The Lake House.

He was also named National Chef of Wales in 2018 and was a National Chef of the Year Finalist in 2017 and 2018.

"I’m so excited to announce I have joined the team at Gilpin Hotel," he says.

The appointments follow the departure of Desai late last year, who says he has decided to take a small break after having spent eight years as executive chef at the hotel. Writing on Instagram he said: "All good things come to an end and so has this chapter of my career at the Gilpin.

"As I say goodbye, I think fondly of each and every employee (past and present) of the Gilpin with whom I got a chance to carve some wonderful memories and express my deep appreciation of the roles every employee played in making the Gilpin team successful."

Desai says he will be revealing the plans for his next venture next month.