Former Gaddum Restaurant at Brockhole head chef Gerald van der Walt took over the lead in the kitchen earlier this month at Harry’s Café Bar, at Yew Tree Barn, Low Newton, in the Lake District.
This follows Alan Forsyth’s move to a new role after a very successful three years at Harry’s, where he developed the menus and revitalised the monthly supper club.
Gerald, originally from South Africa, and now settled in Kendal with his partner and son, has an impressive culinary pedigree, he’s worked alongside some seriously impressive chefs, including the likes of Simon Rogan, as his development chef at Aulis, Cartmel, with Margot Janse at The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, Franschhoek, as her head chef, and prior to that as head chef at The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenhort, Cape Town, with former executive chef Peter Templehoff.
Named after the youngest member of the Wilson family, the 40-cover café bar serves an constantly evolving menu of seasonal dishes made using the very best, fresh, locally sourced ingredients from across the region.
Daytime menu dishes include homemade pappardelle with slow cooked beef rib ragu, buttermilk fried chicken, served with Asian slaw on a sesame seed bun with sriracha mayo & fries, vegan bean stew with roasted cauliflower, cashew nut puree and slow roasted tomatoes. Traditional Sunday roast lunches will also soon feature.
Monthly supper clubs will also re-commence from 12th November, showcasing Gerald’s impressive culinary skills and extensive food influences.
The Wilson family and Gerald have some ambitious plans for the Low Newton eatery, which will be gradually revealed in the coming months as they continue to develop the overall offering at Yew Tree Barn, alongside Harry’s Café Bar.
Gerald commented: ‘’Harry’s is about highlighting the finest and freshest seasonal Cumbrian ingredients through honest, uncomplicated cooking. We’re taking no shortcuts in the kitchen, our food is all home produced, we use a variety of cooking techniques to get the absolute best out of the seasonal ingredients we use. As time progresses, we’ll feature more tasty, hearty dishes within our day-to-day menus, and alongside that we will also look to further develop our supper club menus, utilising my culinary background to deliver some truly memorable dining experiences, served up in the unique setting that Yew Tree Barn provides.’’
Pamela Wilson added: ‘’We are all hugely excited to have Gerald working with us. We’ve constantly sought to develop Harry’s in recent years and it’s brilliant that someone of Gerald’s calibre can see what we want to achieve, and more importantly is willing to develop that vision with us. As many know, we care about what we do and how we do it. All of us at Yew Tree Barn are fully supportive of our local artisans and makers, our farmers and producers and do everything we can to be part and parcel of the local community and that ethos will run throughout our vision for Yew Tree Barn and Harry’s.’’
