Chris Whitmore has taken the helm at Scarlet Hotel at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall as the new Head Chef, bringing a passion for growing, sourcing and celebrating seasonal produce.
With a background shaped in fine dining, he brings a wealth of experience including working at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and Jason Atherton’s The Social Group across restaurants in London, Hong Kong, and Qatar.
In 2019 he stepped away from the kitchen to cultivate his own market garden and food forest, growing sustainable produce for local restaurants. This immersion in the rhythm of the seasons deepened his understanding of how ingredients evolve throughout the year, and how best to honour them. It’s an approach that pairs perfectly with the hotel’s values, celebrating each season through thoughtful partnerships with local farmers, foragers and fishermen, allowing the landscape to shape what arrives on the plate.
The menus at Scarlet restaurant are designed to showcase a daily celebration of nature’s bounty, from sustainably caught seafood to slow-aged steaks and locally grown vegetables. Sustainability is at the heart of this, with nearly everything reused and very little thrown away. From breakfast through lunch and afternoon tea, to the à la carte and seven-course tasting menu at dinner, the adults-only restaurant serves carefully crafted dishes, highlighting local flavours to be enjoyed by the sea.
Tom Hunter, Head of Food for Red Hotels says: “We’re excited to welcome Chris to the team. His appointment is less about a new direction and more about how closely he aligns with our ethos, and how he can bring that to life through his food.”
“I’m delighted to be joining Scarlet and to be working with such exceptional local ingredients and suppliers,” adds Chris. “The changing seasons will be at the heart of everything we create, from relaxed lunches and afternoon teas through to our evening tasting menu.
“This is a particularly exciting time to be coming on board, with an abundance of wonderful produce. I’m particularly loving the tomatoes available presently. If I had to name one must-try dish from the summer menu it would be the lamb, broad beans, gem lettuce, sheep’s cheese gnocchi and onion puree. I’m very much looking forward to welcoming hotel guests and non-residents to our beautiful sea view dining room.”
To book your spot at the table go to www.scarlethotel.co.uk and follow them on Instagram.
