Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood

Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood

  • Three Rosettes
Hartnett Holder & Co, the restaurant at Lime Wood – a luxurious boutique hotel in the New Forest with a bohemian vibe – is a culinary breath of fresh air compared to conventional country house eateries.
Beaulieu Rd
Lyndhurst
Hampshire
United Kingdom
SO43 7FZ
Contact Details
  • (0238) 028 7177
  • Visit website
  • Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood
    Beaulieu Rd, Lyndhurst, United Kingdom, Hampshire, SO43 7FZ
    Telephone
    (0238) 028 7177
    Restaurant reservations
    Open Table Logo

    Co-chefs Angela Hartnett – one of our most celebrated female chefs – and Luke Holder, whose refined, full-flavoured food is produce-led, are behind the fare that Tatler magazine deemed responsible for turning the plush Lyndhurst hideaway into a “serious food destination”.

    Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood has a classy, convivial ambience. The central bar allows for views across the elegant, comfortable dining rooms, while dishes – described as “out-and-out British with the much-loved Italian approach to eating” – are rustic and creative. Here, the fun has been put back into fine dining: expect sumptuous yet earthy dishes such as Mackerel, English muffin and oyster; and Pork belly, rabbit, chorizo, clams and cannellini. Sharing plates along the lines of whole brill, baked with fennel and preserved lemon salad regularly feature on the enticing menu. The wine list, described as “sweeping” by the Waitrose Good Food Guide, has a generous selection of organic and biodynamic wines.

    Like The Pig in nearby Brockenhurst – a similar “self-sufficient foodie enterprise” writes the 2015 Good Food Guide – the kitchen takes full advantage of Hampshire’s abundant produce. The impressive grounds facilitate homegrown crops, and the onsite smokehouse yields smoked fish and charcuterie, “slow foods” such as chorizo, and lavender cured loin of pork, that have become integral to the hotel’s cuisine. Meat is organic and forest food – wild greens, herbs and mushrooms – is plucked from nearby woodlands.

    As a hotel restaurant, Hartnett Holder & Co has been much-lauded: the 2015 Michelin Guide describes the Italian-influenced menu as “inspiring”; it holds three AA Rosettes; won Restaurant of the Year at the Food & Travel Awards 2013; and Restaurant of the Year at the Hampshire Food & Drinks Awards 2013, where Luke Holder was also voted Chef of the Year.

    Three things you should know
    1
    Having previously worked in a restaurant in Thailand attached to a sensory spa, Luke Holder finds it “easy to get the whole philosophy” of the raw food menu available from Raw & Cured, the hotel spa’s health bar.
    2
    The hotel has a dedicated forager who gathers and delivers produce daily.
    3
    Believing that “a happy kitchen produces happy food”, and recognising the potential for staff burnout, Luke Holder’s team works a three-and-a-half-day week.
    Hartnett Holder & Co at Lime Wood
    Beaulieu Rd, Lyndhurst, United Kingdom, Hampshire, SO43 7FZ
    Telephone
    (0238) 028 7177
    Restaurant reservations
    Open Table Logo
    The Chef

    Luke Holder

    Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} The experience of living abroad as a youngster shaped Luke Holder culinary beliefs: “First and foremost every cuisine is tasty, generally”, he says equitably, adding: “Having been brought up in the Middle East and Italy, where the culture of eating is much more family orientated, where people are given dishes in the middle of the table and take part… it definitely influenced the way I want my customers to feel comfortable eating.”In 1998, Luke Holder realised that “what I really wanted to do was cook.” So he contacted Chris Galvin. “I had no college training, and understood nothing about cheffing, but [I told him] I had lived a lot and I was here because this was what I really wanted to do.” The bold tactic paid off and he started as a commis chef job at Orrery in London. “It was probably the hardest moment in my career because I went from being a travelling hippy to sixteen-hour days in a kitchen!”