Sauce Communications To Handle PR for The Forest Side, Lake District
London, September 2018… / Sauce Communications is delighted to announce it is handling the PR for The Forest Side, a magical restaurant with rooms in the heart of the Lake District. Surrounded by the stunning countryside of Wordsworth’s beloved Grasmere, The Forest Side was a former private home within a Gothic mansion that charmed visitors for over a century before falling into disrepair. In 2015 it was reawakened to form a destination dining experience with rooms, which today holds one Michelin star and a place in The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Restaurants in the UK.
A dining experience all about the landscape of the Lake District
The Forest Side is designed to be a reflection of the landscape in which it sits. Fresh seasonal produce is the underpinning of all that Head Chef Kevin Tickle and his team create, with a focus on sourcing from local suppliers wherever possible, including the likes of Town End Farm and Cartmel Valley Game. Chef Tickle’s upbringing in the western Lake District has inspired cooking that is firmly rooted in the Cumbrian countryside, reflected not only in the provenance of the ingredients but also the menu’s creativity. The property is known for making its own charcuterie including hams, salamis, prosciutto and pastrami, and pickling seasonal fruit and vegetables for use all year round. The Forest Side offers a 6-course “La’ l’Un” menu served at lunch and dinner, and a 10-course “Grand ‘Un” menu served at dinner, changing seasonally and with fully vegetarian options for each. Dishes might include Duck heart salad, horseradish, burnt cabbage, L’Al Elsie’s pickled green walnuts to start; Herdwick Hogget, Spring Sauce, Charlie’s Garden Shenanigans as a meat course; and Dandelion root, carvetii coffee, malt and walnut as a sweet. The Forest Side’s wine list features small organic and bio-dynamic wine producers whilst a list of “Kitchen Garden Cocktails” uses ingredients grown on property, including refreshing tipples such as Peashoot Martini and Apple and Fennel Margarita.
The dining room itself is a modern space with reclaimed wood features and plenty of light from floor to ceiling windows looking out to the gardens beyond. Pre or post-meal drinks can be enjoyed in the cosy bar or curled up on a velvet sofa in the relaxed lounge area, in front of a crackling open fire.
October 2018 NEWS
From October 2018, the restaurant will be opening 5 days a week, Wednesday – Sunday, giving Chef Kevin Tickle and his team the time to develop and bring The Forest Side menu to further heights. The change will also provide scope for the team and guests to enjoy alternative gastronomy, with Monday and Tuesday nights playing host to a series of culinary events such as guest chef dinners and wine tastings, the first of which will be on 29th October and focus on natural and biodynamic wines.
Gardens and growing
The Forest Side grows approximately 60% of the fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables it uses in its own acre of kitchen garden, together with an array of flowering plants and herbs. Head Gardener Charles Munro and his five strong team tend to over 100 varieties of vegetable and 25 types of herbs, with produce picked daily to ensure the freshest and most nutrient rich food. Current produce being showcased on the menu includes the likes of beetroot, leeks, sunflower petals and a variety of micro herbs. The informal gardens surrounding the hotel have also been cleverly designed to provide a rich bounty of edible plants for the kitchen and the bar.
Food from the Lakes
For some, gathering wild food is a recent trend but not for The Forest Side’s Head Chef. Previously Head Forager at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, Kevin Tickle has an encyclopaedic knowledge and life-long passion for sourcing edible and delicious species direct from the fields, fell tops, coast and woodland of the Cumbrian landscape. Guests will experience a multitude of foraged ingredients whilst dining here and can even join Chef on a foraging mission of their own.
Rooms
There are 20 delightful contemporary guest bedrooms, with three categories: Cosy, Superb, or Master. All rooms have been designed by James Mackie and feature Farrow and Ball colour shades, super comfortable beds made by Harrison Spinks to an exclusive design for the hotel, luxurious textiles and wallpapers by Zoffany, deep pile Herdwick carpets by Wools of Cumbria, limestone tiled bathrooms and natural bath and body products handmade by Bramley. The Forest Side is also dog friendly in six rooms.
Location
Wordsworth lived in Grasmere for 14 years and described it as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”. The Forest Side is located just minutes from Grasmere village, sitting in own dappled forest canopy at the foot of the Lake District fells, with its own fellside which is home to a herd of Roe Deer, Red Squirrels and native plant species including Foxgloves, Wood Sorrel and Common Sorrel. Once guests have explored the 43 acres of woodland surrounding the property, the rest of the Lakes are on the doorstep. Lake Windermere is a 15-minute drive south, and walking routes around Grasmere, Rydal, Loughrigg, as well as the Langdales are just a few of many to explore.
Nightly rates at The Forest Side start from £229 per room per night in a Double Room, based on two adults sharing, including breakfast.
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For further media information on The Forest Side please contact the team at Sauce Communications: Harriet Rowlinson Harriet@saucecommunications.com; Jessica Jackson Jessica.Jackson@saucecommunications.com Claudia Light Claudia@saucecommunications.com and Emma Powell Emma@saucecommunications.com or call the office on 0208 600 3600.