Some of the country’s top Michelin starred chefs will join the Save Windermere campaign for a week-long culinary event to raise funds.
Chefs4SaveWindermere will see the Lake District’s top chefs over six nights, from September 11 to 16, cook up culinary delights in an intimate tented setting overlooking the lake.
Spearheaded by Barney Cunliffe, of Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, each evening of the week will feature different chefs and restaurants, all dedicated to using local, sustainable and nature-friendly ingredients, sourced from our incredible farmers.
Each table seats 10, giving a capacity for 100 guests to attend each night.
Windermere is a dying lake. Save Windermere is campaigning to end all treated and untreated sewage discharges into the lake, as has been achieved in Lake Annecy in France.
Unlike our rivers and coasts, Windermere is an enclosed body of water and requires unique solutions and resources. Only by completely removing all nutrient inputs will England’s most iconic lake be preserved for generations to come.
The campaign, fronted by Matt Staniek, has had over 275,000 people sign its petitions, more than any other on the subject of sewage pollution, and has grown exponentially both locally and nationally in the last months, following a demonstration attended by Steve Coogan, Lee Mack and Paul Whitehouse in May of this year.
The Chefs4SaveWindermere line-up is:
- Monday September 11: Simon Rogan’s Lake District Restaurants led by executive chef Paul Burgalières: 3* Michelin L’Enclume, 1* Michelin Rogan & Co, plus Aulis Cartmel and Henrock
- Tuesday September 12: 1* Michelin Ryan Blackburn from The Old Stamp House, Ambleside, supported by Steven Doherty
- Wednesday September 13: 1* Michelin Ollie Bridgwater from SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel
- Thursday September 14: Craig and Shaun Edmondson of the Brown Horse Inn at Winster (winners of Cumbria’s Best Pub and Bar in 2023)
- Friday September 15: 1* Michelin Richard Swale, with Anthony Amos from Allium, Askham Hall, joined by 1* Michelin Ben Queen-Fryer from The Dog and Gun Inn, Skelton
- Saturday September 16: Aakash Ohol of Gilpin Spice and Tom Westerland of Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House
Michelin chefs will provide fine dining and wine on four nights, whilst Craig and Shaun Edmondson will host a traditional pub night, and Aakash Ohol and Tom Westerland will offer a sophisticated ‘barbecue night’, showcasing their mastery of cooking over fire.
The money raised from the week-long event will be ring-fenced to support the Save Windermere campaign’s new data collection initiatives, their increasingly successful Parliamentary lobbying, and the development of innovative legislation to safeguard our lake for both the present and future generations.
Save Windermere founder, Matt Staniek said: “Save Windermere is incredibly lucky to have such phenomenal culinary talent coming together to raise awareness and funding for the campaign. Save Windermere is fighting for the complete removal of all treated and untreated sewage discharges into our lake, following in the footsteps of Lake Annecy to make Windermere the cleanest lake in Europe.”
Barney Cunliffe, owner of Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, added: “It has been a pleasure to bring these amazing chefs together in support of Save Windermere.
“They have achieved excellence in part by sourcing amazing ingredients from Lake District farmers, who are supplying some of the highest quality sustainable produce in the world as well as working in environmentally sustainable ways to ensure our local environment is protected.
“This event is a chance to say enough is enough, and to give Save Windermere the financial resources to challenge United Utilities and the Environment Agency.”
