One of Northern Ireland’s most renowned chefs has been appointed to run the restaurant at a new boutique guesthouse in Castlewellan.
Will Brown, who has worked under Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsey in London and as head chef at his family’s restaurant The Old Schoolhouse in Comber, has already taken up the position at Hillyard House in the County Down town.
The guesthouse and restaurant opened for one month prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 but has now reopened, creating 11 full-time and 26 part-time jobs.
READ MORE: {}
It represents a £3 million investment by Forest Park Development Group, with £300,000 of support from Invest Northern Ireland.
Will will be supported by a team of 12 chefs and newly-appointed General Manager Suzanne Kidd.
“I am delighted to take on the role of Head Chef at Hillyard House Castlewellan,” he said. “I have recently moved to live in Castlewellan with my two sons, Harry and Jackie.
“It is a truly beautiful place and Hillyard House provides the perfect platform for me to excel in my career. The restaurant is stunning and I am very lucky to have some of the best produce in Ireland right on our doorstep.
“We source our produce locally and cook in a simple but elegant manner. Our guests can count on consistently good food using ingredients they relate to.”
Most Read
The menu at the property, which is now open for business, includes Carnlough Bay Oysters, Flax Fed Beef, Castlewellan tomatoes, Dundrum Bay Mussels, Mourne Lamb, Comber potatoes and more.
Will began his career at the age of 17 when he worked under Marco Pierre White at the Mirabelle in Mayfair. He returned to Belfast where he trained at Roscoff under Paul Rankin before moving to London where he worked at two Michelin-starred The Square in Mayfair, Gordon Ramsay's Maze and The Glasshouse for Bruce Poole.
Among his high-profile diners, he can count Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Schiffer. Will also starred on the Great British Menu.
Mark O’Higgins, Operational Director at Hillyard House, said welcomed the appointment of Will.
“His appointment allows us to fully open to the public with a bang, offering the best of local food for all the family complemented by the most beautiful surroundings to be found here,” he said. “Hillyard House is a real celebration of everything that is great about Northern Ireland.”
John McGrillen from Tourism NI added said Hillyard House is a good addition to the tourism product in the Mournes area.
“It is ideally located at the gates of Castlewellan Forest Park to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people visiting here to explore all of the activities that are available in the park and the wider Mournes area. High quality local food and drink is now a fundamental part of our tourism offer and it is great to see Will Brown join the team here as he will provide a culinary experience to match the fantastic produce and landscape from which it comes.”