An award-winning Grasmere bistro with beds has said a bittersweet goodbye to its head chef this month.
Will Manley, son-in-law to The Yan owners, Dave & Sally Keighley, has been a key part of The Yan family since its opening in 2019 alongside wife, Jess.
But a combination of the recent arrival of the couple’s second child plus being away from the kitchen for the last 12 months – recovering from shoulder and Achilles injuries – have pushed him to make some important career decisions to allow him to spend more time with his young family.
Over the last 12 months, the kitchen has been led by operations director and chef, Georgina Keighley-King – Dave and Sally’s daughter – who will continue to oversee the kitchen team and develop The Yan’s seasonal menus, supported by the team.
Georgina, along with husband, Pete, joined the family business in 2022 after six years at Ambleside’s Lake Road Kitchen, where she was head chef.
The kitchen team will be led by Kendal College alumni, Sam Thomas, who has been part of The Yan family since 2020.
Throughout 2024, under Georgina’s leadership, The Yan has continued to attract glowing food and drink reviews and was the only restaurant in Cumbria to retain its place on the prestigious Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants. The bistro with beds also took home the Casual Dining Award at this year’s Cumbria Tourism Awards.
Georgina said: “It’s a real testament to Will’s guidance and training that, whilst he’s been away from the kitchen, Sam, supported by our amazing team, has been consistently delivering the same excellent quality food and drink to our guests and diners.
“It goes without saying how much we’ll all miss Will, but it’s important to look to the future and what promises to be an exciting time for The Yan with the rest of the highly skilled team continuing to step up and show what they can deliver.
“During his extended absence from the business, first through injury, then paternity leave, he’s been able to spend a lot more time at home with the kids and wants to continue with that. It’s bittersweet, but it’s been great to see him thrive in the precious time he’s spent with Jess and their boys, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Whatever direction his new career follows, we wish him all the best and have no doubt he’ll be successful.
“In the meantime, it’s very much business as usual at The Yan. We’ve just launched our new seasonal winter menu, which will see the team delivering much more of the same fresh, flavour-packed food, created using locally sourced produce, that our customers know and love. And of course it includes our epic Sunday Roasts, majestic Sharing Boards, and famous Shepherd’s Pie. Classic winter warmers!”
