The restaurant takes its name from the Old Norse word for ‘glowing embers’ and ‘gladness’, which reflects Westerland’s approach to cooking using charcoal and different woods. It will open at the hotel retreat, located a mile away from Lake District-based Gilpin Hotel, and which is set in 100 acres of private grounds with its own lake.
Westerland trained at Restaurant Hywel Jones, the fine dining offer at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, and was also head chef at the Brasserie at Lucknam Park. He will create a menu that is ‘fun, entertaining, nostalgic and taps into a sense of playfulness to create memorable, talkworthy dishes’ and will take inspiration from household products, such as his signature Branston pickle butter.
“I’ve never seen anything like the Lake District before, it’s a fantastic region. To see some of the vistas and some of the views, you can’t help but be inspired by what’s out there,” he says. “It also has some of the best produce in the country thanks to the environment it is being grown in and being reared in.
“I plan on bringing my own style to the restaurant. My food is very fun, there’s always a bit of a story behind it. So, I’ll be focusing in on storytelling and communicating that to the guests so that they know the background of the dish and what the inspiration was behind it.
“My inspiration comes from my love of food. I’ve always loved going out and eating and playing around on barbecues. My food is based around cooking with charcoal and different woods. Some of my ideas come from driving around an area - I have a notebook with me all the time and I’ll jot down things I see that could transfer into my cooking, like the pine trees surrounding the Lake House for example. Being somewhere like this, where you have so much inspiration around you, it’s a fantastic tool to work with.”
HRiSHi restaurant to be renamed SOURCE
The new restaurant coincides with the renaming of HRiSHi at Gilpin Hotel to SOURCE following the departure of executive chef Hrishikesh Desai.
SOURCE will be headed up by newly named executive chef Ollie Bridgwater, who has joined the hotel from Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck.
SOURCE’s menu will be seasonal and produce led as well as having a sustainable focus. Bridgwater says he will collaborate across all three restaurants at the hotel, which also includes Gilpin Spice, now headed up by Aakash Ohol, to use each animal nose to tail to ensure nothing is wasted.
“It does mean a lot to be chosen for this role. I visited before I knew I was coming to work here and I always thought it was a very special place, so I’m very excited to get started on this project.
“Style-wise, I’m not going to try and replicate what I’ve been doing at The Fat Duck, but of course there will be strong influences. I do have some particular dishes in mind but I’m keeping them under wraps for now.”
Discussing the changes, Gilpin Hotel & Lake House owner Barney Cunliffe adds: “While the three chefs will work in partnership, each restaurant will be run independently. Ultimately, our aim is for our guests to be spoilt for choice and for Gilpin to be a complete foodie destination. One that’s built on a sustainable ethos.
“Sustainability has always been important to us, and now we have the chance to do something really extraordinary, with all chefs working together to ensure there is next to no food waste, something we believe will magnify their creativity as they strive to use every single part of the animal.”
