Elliot Hill has been unveiled as the new head chef at boutique hotel Oddfellows in Chester. Elliot returns home to Cheshire from London, where he held the Executive Chef role at The Park Tavern, Wandsworth. He was also previously part of the opening team at Hotel Gotham, Manchester and spent part of his career training in Russia.
The design-led hotel collection, which prides itself on restoring properties using the history of the building and the location’s narrative as inspiration, recently refurbished the hotel’s restaurant with living moss walls, antique mirrors and dramatic smoked glass lighting. Like other aspects of the hotel, the restaurant’s design was inspired by the concept of wonderland, using eccentric interior pieces. This can be seen elsewhere in the hotel with stand-out features such as the Valkyrie aircraft wing desk and the whimsical table and chairs that hang upside down from The Tea Room ceiling. Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland had a strong connection with Cheshire and his fanciful and creative world echoes in the interiors at Oddfellows.
‘Oddfellows is an exciting collection of hotels with a strong food and beverage ethos,” says Elliot. “I’m keen on offering our diners as much choice as possible – they might just want a nibble with a cocktail, to share a salad with a friend or to have a four-course meal. They can eat anywhere they like - the secret garden, the bar or the restaurant. We are making sure flexibility and freedom for the diner is tantamount and continuing to put quality, local and seasonal ingredients at the forefront of everything we produce.’