FORMER Cumbrian Michelin starred chef Kevin Tickle, and his wife Nicola, have taken over the reins at a former historic 17th century coaching inn at the foot of Cartmel Fell, in the Lake District village of High Newton.

The couple’s new venture is set to open in late autumn, after a significant programme of refurbishment is carried out to modernise the kitchen, and bring the bar, restaurant, and guest bedrooms up to standard, as the historic venue is transformed into an Inn with Rooms.

Nicola Tickle will oversee front of house and the guest accommodation at their new venture, utilising the invaluable experience she has gained at several highly regarded Lake District establishments including the Drunken Duck at Barngates.

Meanwhile Kevin, who has a string of plaudits to his name will be firmly behind the stoves at the couples Inn with Rooms, where he will utilise his vast local knowledge to create the multi-award winning food his richly deserved reputation is built on.

Previously Kevin studied his craft at Kendal College as part of his apprenticeship with English Lakes Hotels, after which he took a job as a commis at the acclaimed Sharrow Bay Hotel, where he further honed his skills.

After a period at Gilpin, Windermere, Tickle began working for Simon Rogan at L’Enclume, Cartmel, a hugely influential period in his life, which lasted for some eight years. During his time with Rogan, Kevin also took on the role of Head Forager for the acclaimed restaurant, a role which saw him spending increasing amounts of time in the Cumbrian landscape he loves.

He left in 2016 to open Forest Side, where he quickly achieved critical acclaim, being awarded a Michelin star within eight months of opening and four AA rosettes for culinary excellence within a year, as well as being ranked at number 27 in the Waitrose Good Food Guide and being recognised with a top 20 ranking in the 2019 Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards. He left Forest Side in the Autumn of 2019, to take some time out with his young family and to begin planning the launch of his own venue.

Now that all the pieces are in place, Kevin and Nicola are busily working away to be able to reveal their vision later this year, which will feature six guests rooms, a bar serving a quality beers, carefully selected wines, accompanied by seasonal small plates and snacks, many of which will provide guests with an insight into their restaurant menus and a restaurant serving Kevin’s unique take on modern British food made with Cumbrian provender.

Kevin and Nicola commented: "We’ve been searching for the right venue for a while now and the 17th century coaching we’ve found is perfect. It’s a bit like coming home for both of us, I worked in Cartmel for years and Nicola grew up in Rusland, and we both have family close by, so we know the area very well."

"The potential for the building is huge and we both know that we can really make it something special. We have started clearing the decks and the builders are due to move in shortly and help us get the place just the way we want it. Once that’s sorted by mid to late autumn we will reveal our vision for the place, which people will understand when we reveal it.’’