The Forest Side announces chef festival line-up

The Forest Side – Lake District Hotel & Restaurant in Grasmere has announced the line-up for its annual chef festival, Food February.

Spread across four evenings, the Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms will invite some of the finest culinary talent from across England and Scotland to cook alongside head chef Paul Leonard.

Last year’s inaugural event featured sell-out dinners from the likes of Michael Wignall of The Angel at Hetton and Alex Bond of Alchemilla. 

In 2021, chef’s taking part include Alex Nietosvuori of Northumberland’s acclaimed Scandinavian Restaurant Hjem; Lorna McNee, Great British Menu winner and head chef at Glasgow’s Cail Bruich; followed by The Forest Side’s Paul Leonard cooking alongside Tom Shepherd (ex-Michelin starred Adam’s and soon to be flagship restaurant in Birmingham); and Oli Martin of Lancashire’s Hipping Hall. 

The festival is based around a traditional tasting menu format of six-courses plus snacks, giving guests the opportunity to sample an array of culinary techniques and delights signature to each chef. 

The hotel’s General Manager Alasdair Elwick comments: “This is a chance to celebrate, last year was a great success and we all need something to look forward to after the crazy year we have had. We are all looking forward to welcoming all these amazing chefs to The Forest Side”.

Speaking on the upcoming series, Leonard adds: “I’m thrilled to be welcoming such a winning line-up and I’m sure this is going to be a great set of dining experiences. All the chefs joining us at The Forest Side are renowned across the UK, and are visiting from some stunning restaurants.”

CREDITS:
Feature Image: Jenny Heyworth