Mark McCabe has been taken on as the new Head Chef of Henrock by Simon Rogan, the Lake District restaurant situated within Linthwaite House Hotel, which overlooks Windermere.
Mark’s appointment at Henrock, which sits alongside Simon Rogan’s other Lake District restaurants L’Enclume, Rogan & Co and Aulis in nearby Cartmel, follows four years as Chef Owner of The Ethicurean restaurant in Bristol before the restaurant closed its doors in the autumn. Prior to his time at The Ethicurean, Mark was part of the team at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage in Dorset, after training in kitchens in Paris as well as Lancashire.
At Henrock, the menu takes inspiration from Simon’s travels worldwide, particularly to his restaurants in Hong Kong, Malta, and Thailand, but aims to use locally sourced ingredients. As an extension of this ethos, Mark will work with 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 takes over the position from chef Cillian Hennessy, who will step into the role as Aulis Development Chef. Cillian will be in charge of researching and refining new dishes for Aulis and our restaurants in The Lakes.
Whilst Mark and the Simon Rogan team will oversee the day-to-day running of Henrock restaurant, the hotel’s breakfast, and all-day food offering, to include the more informal bar and conservatory menu, will be overseen separately by Gerald Van Der Walt, the Head Chef of Linthwaite House Hotel which is part of the Leeu Collection of hotels.
Complementing Gerald’s menu is a cocktail list offering classic and premium drinks curated by Linthwaite’s resident mixologist. A small selection of Henrock’s own cocktails will also be available to guests dining in the restaurant, created by Andreas Grammatikopoulos, who brings an element of his native Greece to the drinks whilst using ingredients from Our Farm.
Mark McCabe, who is originally from Scotland, is preparing to bring a wealth of experience and sustainability-minded ethos to the Henrock kitchen honed during his time at The Ethicurean, which received a Michelin Green Star under his stewardship in 2021. With a strong passion for regenerative farming, Mark is also 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.
On being appointed Head Chef of Henrock he commented: ”As a chef I have always been compelled and inspired by nature, seasonality, and sustainability and so the Simon Rogan way of sourcing and cooking aligns so closely with my own personal ethos, it feels like the perfect continuation of the work I have dedicated my career to so far. Naturally, 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. I can’t wait to be a part of the Henrock brigade.’’
Simon Rogan MBE commented: ‘‘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 F&B team to build on the wider offering that guests can enjoy at Linthwaite House. Although he’ll be missed in the Henrock kitchen, we also look forward to seeing Cillian Hennessy settle into his new role as Development Chef of Aulis Cartmel.’’
Karen Irving, General Manager at Linthwaite House said: ‘We are hugely excited by the arrival of Mark McCabe at Henrock and Gerald van der Walt at Linthwaite’s Bar & Conservatory. Both chef appointments provide our guests with a tremendous opportunity to experience complimentary 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.”
Henrock is open for dinner on Wednesday-Sunday as well as Sunday lunch.”
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