Interview
James Cross, Lake Road Kitchen
We talk to the head chef at the Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside.
We talk to the head chef at the Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside.
Nathan Outlaw opened his guest house in Port Isaac, Cornwall, in the summer. The chef, whose exceptional flagship restaurant appears in our Top 20 list, tells Josh Barrie about expanding his business, cooking breakfast, and getting to know his guests.
Country house hotels have been quietly shaking off their dusty image for years. Then the no-fly period of the pandemic struck and suddenly opinion-shapers were checking into places with glorious gardens, sumptuous interiors and kitchens whose food thrilled. Voluminous floral chintz in dusty dining rooms, prissy formality and palate-deadening food? There’s no space for that in these competitive times. Heritage-respecting style, easy informality laced with luxury, and inspired cooking by talented chefs using kitchen garden ingredients? Yes please.
‘A bolt hole in the woods for the lost artist to start again’
In pubs and restaurants today, fine cider is becoming ubiquitous. We must all become better acquainted. Here, wine writer Zeren Wilson discusses apples as he would grapes, and recommends the varieties to try now.