Will Brown takes culinary helm at £3m Hillyard House
Top chef Will Brown has been unveiled as the man at the helm of a new restaurant in Castlewellan.
Hillyard House, set right beside the Forest Park, also boasts 20 luxury guestrooms alongside the 90-seater The Yard Restaurant and Mrs Coleman’s Bar.
The £3m project by Forest Park Development Group, was supported by £300,000 fromy Invest Northern Ireland and has created 11 full-time and 26 part-time jobs.
Speaking about his new role at the Co Down Venue, Will said: “I am delighted to take on the role of Head Chef at Hillyard House Castlewellan. 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.
‘Simple but elegant’
“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.”
Will, who starred on BBC’s Great British Menu in 2014, started his career at just 17, working under Marco Pierre White at the Mirabelle in Mayfair before returning to Belfast, where he trained at Roscoff under Paul Rankin.
After that he moved back to London, where he worked in venues including Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and two Michelin-starred The Square in Mayfair. But he’d again return home to lay down roots and lead the kitchen at his parents’ former business, Comber’s Old Schoolhouse Inn.
Tourism NI chief executive John McGrillen described Hillyward House as “a fantastic new addition to the tourism product in the Mournes area”.
He added: “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.”
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