Michelin Chefs Are Joining Forces To Help Save Lake Windermere

The Lake District is one of the UK’s most prestigious food destinations, with more Michelin-starred chefs than any other region. And now, they’re coming together for a good cause: to help protect one of the country’s most beautiful waterways, Lake Windermere.

Michelin Chefs Are Joining Forces To Help Save Lake Windermere

Names including local culinary legend Stephen Doherty, L’Enclume chef Tom Barnes and Askham Hall’s Richard Swale are coming together to support a campaign called Save Windermere, which is being spearheaded by Barney Cunliffe, owner of Gilpin Hotel & Lake House. The week-long culinary event aims to raise money for Windermere, a dying lake which needs some TLC. 

The Save Windermere campaign has already had lots of traction both locally and nationally, with over 275,000 signatures on its petitions. The initiative aims to end all treated and untreated sewage discharges going into the lake from United Utilities Wastewater Treatment Works. Pollution to the lake is causing problems such as high levels of phosphorus, leading to more potentially toxic algal blooms which are dangerous to wildlife. 

Lake Windermere

Being an enclosed body of water, the lake requires unique resources to protect it – and this is the only way to preserve the lake for future generations. A similar project has been going on at Lake Annecy in France since the 1960s, and it is now the cleanest lake in Europe.

Taking place over six nights from 11 to 16 September 2023, the foodie event will see chefs cooking up a feast within an intimate tented setting overlooking the lake. All dishes will be created using local ingredients from nearby farmers, with capacity for 100 guests to attend each night.

The line-up includes:

• 11 September: Simon Rogan’s Lake District Restaurants led by executive chef Paul Burgalières – L’Enclume, Rogan & Co, Aulis Cartmel and Henrock 
• 12 September: Ryan Blackburn from The Old Stamp House, Ambleside, supported by Steven Doherty
• 13 September:  Ollie Bridgwater from SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel 
• 14 September: Craig and Shaun Edmondson of the Brown Horse Inn at Winster
• 15 September: Richard Swale, with Anthony Amos from Allium, Askham Hall, joined by Ben Queen-Fryer from The Dog and Gun Inn, Skelton
• 16 September: Aakash Ohol of Gilpin Spice and Tom Westerland of Knipe Grill at Gilpin Lake House

Speaking about the project, Cunliffe said: ‘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.’

Find out more and book at savewindermere.com