Celebrity Chefs

Follow in the footsteps of some of the country’s celebrity chefs by visiting The New Forest and be inspired by some of their culinary ideas.

At Lime Wood, in Lyndhurst, celebrity chefs Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder do the cooking, pulling together both of their much admired signature styles, to create ‘Hartnett Holder & Co’, the hotel’s relaxed Italian restaurant. Angela is one of the most high-profile female chefs in the restaurant world and formerly worked under Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine. Both Angela and Luke have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants prior to coming to Lime Wood. Fancy following in their footsteps? There is also an on-site cookery school where you can learn cookery skills from the basics, through to more technical cooking.

Chef James Martin has a lengthy history on the television with various food shows including the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen. At the age of 22 he worked in the luxury, five star Chewton Glen Hotel, in the New Forest as a pastry chef.

Today, he is still involved at this luxury hotel. You can learn from James yourself by booking onto one of The Kitchen’s (Chewton Glen’s cookery school’s) workshops where you can not only watch James produce some eye-catching dishes but then recreate them under his supervision.  Alternatively, book onto one of his cookery demonstration sessions where you can sit back and relax and enjoy watching him and the team create some culinary delights. Other cookery courses at the hotel include those from well-known celebrity chef Tom Kitchin and two-Michelin starred chef, Atul Kochhar.

Look out for celebrity chefs featuring at the annual Hampshire Food Festival which usually takes place during July. Past visitors have included MasterChef finalists and chefs that featured in the Great British Menu. The nearby Lymington Seafood Festival, in August, also offers the opportunity to see celebrity chefs showcasing their work.