Meet our new chef Scott Hirst

Last month we were very happy to launch our winter menu, full of delicious, flavoursome dishes created by our new chef Scott Hirst.

Throughout the chillier months our guests will be able to enjoy dishes such as saddle of venison with wild berries in a truffle sauce, Dexter fillet of beef with a shallot puree or pan fried pheasant breast with blackberries and parsnip puree, all lovingly prepared by Scott in our kitchen.

Scott has been with us about three months and was previously running the kitchen at the Flying Fleece, in Ambleside, and before that worked alongside Sam Carter at Plato’s in Kirkby Lonsdale and at The Swan Hotel, in Newby Bridge.

Originally from Oldham, he spent 14 years working as a chef and restaurant manager out in Cyprus before returning to the UK.

We thought we’d let Scott tell you a little about his approach to food and why he loves living in the Lake District so much.

So, over to him!

“One of the most important things for me is that I like to use fresh ingredients in everything I do. This adds an extra layer of flavour and vitality to everything and helps each dish really stand out.

“As a chef in the Lakes you are blessed with a lot of locally produced meat and other produce and so the ingredients we use are often about as fresh as they possibly could be. There is also a lot of game meat on offer and the new winter menu includes dishes like pheasant and venison. It’s great to have seen game growing in popularity recently and more people enjoying these traditional and subtle flavours.

“Alongside this I am trying to incorporate a lot more vegetarian and vegan meals to open the menu up to as wide a range of people as possible. We’ve got dishes like our smoky chestnut arancini and beetroot on beer soil. It doesn’t really matter if you’re vegan or vegetarian at all, these are just delicious dishes for anyone to try. It’s also very important to keep coming up with specials to put on the menu so we can keep things new and interesting, both for me and the guests.

“It’s been fantastic making the move to work at the Three Shires Inn. The kitchen here is ideal for myself and the kind of food I want to make. It’s small enough to manage it really nicely and spend time with each plate of food. If you can take your time preparing a plate of food and making sure it is just right, then that’s always a lot more satisfying.