A NEW head pastry chef has joined the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey.

Phil Harris, who joins the hotel’s Burlington Restaurant, has a classical background and professional expertise in a number of high-calibre restaurants and hotels. He has previously worked at The Test Kitchen in London, a pop-up restaurant in Soho, where he supported Adam Simmons, formerly of Michelin-starred Danesfield House, near Marlow. He has also been employed at Great Fosters and The Latymer at Pennyhill Park, both in Surrey, and The Samling on Lake Windermere.

Phil, who hails from Staines, is passionate about crafting special creations in the kitchen.

Burlington head chef Paul Leonard said: "I’m so looking forward to working with Phil once again as we were buddies at The Samling together where we worked under Ian Swainson. I know that I can count on him to deliver the high standards and awesome creativity that we seek from a dedicated pastry chef and he will be a complement to the direction in which the Burlington is now heading. We are moving a step up each day and having Phil join us is only going to help us excel in that journey."

General Manager, Adam Dyke said: "It’s great to have Phil on board - he is an incredibly talented and creative Chef."

He added: "Our new working regime with the 48 hour, four day working week is really starting to pay off and the team are happier and motivated. I feel like we’re going into 2018 with a really strong focus now, it’s an exciting and dynamic period for us all."