Hrishikesh Desai on joining Farlam Hall: ‘This is my chance to be a hotelier’

Hrishikesh Desai has said he hopes to grow into the role of a hotelier in his new position at Farlam Hall in Brampton, Cumbria.

The chef announced he was joining the country house hotel in February after leaving the Gilpin Hotel and Lake House in Windermere after eight years at the end of 2022.

He told The Caterer that Michael Caines, owner of Lympstone Manor in Devon, had been a “massive influence” on his career trajectory, along with the mentorship he received from Harry Murray, former chairman at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa, where Desai worked from 2004 to 2015.

“Every time I’ve watched these people I’ve thought ‘I wanted to be like them’ – that’s the goal,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I want to see myself grow into the hotelier role.”

Desai joined Farlam Hall alongside finance director Karen Baybutt (pictured above right), who he worked closely with while she was managing director at the Gilpin. Baybutt said: “My background is finance, and the Gilpin was the first time I’d worked in hospitality. So Hrishikesh was looking to me for guidance with the finance side of things, and I was looking to him saying ‘you’re a hotelier through and through’ – so we helped each other and worked together really well.”

The pair now oversee the day-to-day management of Farlam Hall and its 38 staff and recently launched a recruitment drive to hire six new team members. Both Desai and Baybutt are in the process of becoming board members, with long-term plans to potentially become part-owners of the hotel in the future.

Farlam Hall’s current owners, Joe Walter and Kathy Mares, are based in Seattle and took over the business in 2019. During the pandemic they renovated the property’s 12 bedrooms and six self-contained cottages on the grounds. The hotel also has its own kitchen gardens, poly-tunnels, and honeybees on site.

During his time overseeing the Gilpin’s restaurants, Desai and his team achieved two-AA-rosettes for Gilpin Spice, four-AA-rosettes for HRiSHi and secured a Michelin Star within 16 months.

His ambition is to achieve similar accolades at Farlam Hall. “The pressure is on me, that’s for sure,” Desai said. “In March this year, the [Michelin] guide will be out, so we will have one whole year to work.”

He added: “I won’t lie. Of course, you want a Michelin star, of course you want a Green Star, can we reach to the third rosette as quickly as possible? It’s really important that there is ambition. I have always kept the accolades in front of me and then worked my way towards what I need to do to achieve them.”

Desai will launch his new menu at Farlam Hall in April, which will include a dish of Jerusalem artichoke velouté, paired with honey from the garden, served with a mushroom duxelles spiced cumin raviolo.

The menu will feature produce from the kitchen garden, as well as from local farmers who will supply the hotel with whole animals to ensure nothing goes to waste.

“It has to have a [foodie] experience to attract guests to us,” said Desai.

The chef hinted he hopes to one day launch a cookery school at the property, where guests could learn how to make pasta in the morning, and in the evening sit down to a menu curated by Desai himself.