Simon Rogan MBE’s Henrock restaurant at Linthwaite House is being overseen by head chef Mark McCabe, who will serve dishes inspired by Simon’s travels around the world and his farm to table ethos.
The hotel’s more informal bar and conservatory menu, including breakfast, all-day dining offering and bar snack menus, are being led by head chef Gerald Van Der Walt.
Gerald recently joined from Yew Tree Barn, at Low Newton, and before that was head chef at The Gaddum and café at Brockhole. South African-born, his first job in Cumbria was with Simon Rogan in Cartmel.
Mark’s appointment at Henrock, which sits alongside Simon Rogan’s other Lake District restaurants L’Enclume, Rogan & Co and Aulis in Cartmel, follows four years as chef owner of The Ethicurean restaurant, in Bristol, which received a Michelin Green Star in 2021 under his stewardship but closed its doors last autumn.
Mark was previously part of the team at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage in Dorset, after training in kitchens in Paris as well as Lancashire.
The Henrock menu takes inspiration from the increasingly international flavour of Rogan restaurants in Hong Kong, Malta and Thailand, but with a focus on locally sourced ingredients.
Mark will work with the company’s Our Farm manager John Rowland and Our Farm head chef Liam Fitzpatrick to grow and preserve a selection of tropical plants and exotic species.
Mark has taken over the role at Henrock from chef Cillian Hennessy, who will step into the role as Aulis development chef in charge of researching and refining new dishes for Aulis and Rogan restaurants in The Lakes.
With a strong passion for regenerative farming, Scotland-born Mark is a former finalist of the Craft Guild of Chefs national chef of the year and reached the judging chamber in the 2023 series of BBC’s Great British Menu.
He said: “I am most looking forward to working with the ingredients sourced directly from Simon’s farm. It’s a true luxury to have access to produce of this quality and diversity, not to mention being located in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.”
Simon added: '‘Mark is not only a highly-skilled chef but following his experience in kitchens which also harness such a strong connection to where its food is grown means he has developed a true understanding of growing and an appreciation for nature and sustainability that is rare to find. We’re excited to welcome Mark to the Henrock kitchen and wider Simon Rogan team, but also to be working alongside Gerald Van der Walt and the Leeu team.”
Karen Irving, general manager at Linthwaite House, part of the Leeu Collection of hotels, said: '‘Both chef appointments provide our guests with a tremendous opportunity to experience complementary but very different culinary repertoires. Gerald’s dishes use the very best British produce, which he combines with influences and flavours from his culinary travels, providing a relaxed dining offer contrasting the seasonal gastronomic experiences delivered by Mark in Linthwaite’s fine dining restaurant, Henrock.”g company has developed the first fully sustainable outer wrap for whisk
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