Former Faviken head chef Sam Miller joins the Cottage in the Wood
Sam Miller has been appointed as chef director of the Michelin-starred Cottage in the Wood restaurant with rooms in the Lake District.
Prior to joining the restaurant, he was executive sous chef at three-Michelin-starred Noma in Copenhagen in 2011 and 2013, head chef at two-Michelin-starred Faviken in Sweden in 2012, and head chef at the Terrace in North Yorkshire.
He has replaced Ben Wilkinson, who left the restaurant this month to take up a head chef role at the Pass in the South Lodge country hotel and spa in Sussex, along with his partner and former front of house manager of the Cottage, Monika Zurawska.
Miller will launch a new menu in September. In the meantime, he has been consolidating his links with Riverview Cottage Farm near Carlisle, who will be growing crops for the Cottage in the Wood.
Liam Berney, owner of the Cottage in the Wood, said: "Sam will bring a creative, contemporary and perhaps more informal approach to our dining experience and we hope his experience and techniques developed right at the heart of the formation of the ‘New Nordic' food movement at Noma will help him define a new Northern English cuisine for us and also develop the sense of place that is central to what we offer."
Miller added: "It's good to be joining such an established restaurant with a strong reputation and in such a beautiful location.
"I share Kath and Liam's passion for Cumbria and the north of England, and undertaking our work in a way that shows consideration for the environment and our surroundings. This will be expressed in my cooking, along with a focus on seasonality and quality of ingredients".
Outgoing chef Wilkinson said: "We have had a lovely five years at the Cottage and would like to thank all the team, all of our fantastic guests, and our wonderful suppliers and producers for making it so special. We wish Kath and Liam all the best for the future and look forward to seeing the continuing successes of The Cottage."
