A new restaurant in a village near Carlisle is just days away from opening.

Chef and business owner James Hill, who has worked for Gordon Ramsay, is opening Lounge on the Green in Houghton.

It will be the village’s first restaurant.

Green signs have gone up outside the corner restaurant.

His new venture at 27 The Green, formerly occupied by Lowther Furniture, will open its doors on Thursday night.

Mr Hill, who also runs The Quarter Lounge, in Treasury Court, off Fisher Street in the city centre, said: “We’re very excited and we’re going to open on Thursday night and take bookings from Friday.”

Mr Hill and three other staff will work at the restaurant.

He said: “The menu will change regularly and we will be using seasonal and fresh ingredients.

“It will be different to the Quarter Lounge and a bit more towards the kind of food I created when I ran Bijou.

“If the fishmonger comes on a Wednesday then we will likely have a fresh fish dish on the menu.”


James Hill The restaurant will be open three nights a week – Thursday to Saturday – from 5pm to 11pm.

“We want to try and catch people on the way home from work if we can,” said Mr Hill.

Last orders will be at 9pm and closing time will be 11pm.

“The last table booking will be 9pm so we should be able to turn the tables over a couple of times a night,” he said.

Mr Hill trained for six months under Gordon Ramsay at The Connaught in London before returning home to Cumbria.

He also worked at the Rampsbeck Hotel at Ullswater before setting up on his own.

He previously ran the Bijou restaurant in Carlyles Court before moving it to Fisher Street.

He then opened the contemporary, trendy Quarter Lounge – which he still runs today.

Later he renamed Bijou, No.34 and for a time ran both businesses.

He then sold No.34 to his former colleague Matt Rayson.

It is now known as The Old Bank City Pub & Chop House.

Lowther Furniture, which previously occupied the premises on The Green in Houghton, relocated to a unit at The Old Brewery in Brampton.