CUMBRIA is fast becoming known as the best place in the country for fine dining outside London.

And one of the people leading the charge is Carlisle’s own James Hill, who this week reopened his Lounge on the Green in Houghton after a revamp.

James, who also owns the Quarter Lounge in the city centre, learned his trade with some of the country’s leading lights, but returned home to make his name in his own right – and in a county where fine dining is becoming an expectation.

“Cumbria has probably got most Michelin stars outside London. There are seven in Cumbria. It is not in the cities though which is a surprise. Cartmel alone has three Michelin stars for a little village. Then there is Windermere, Ambleside, and Penrith has got one,” said James.

“Cumbria has always been a foodie place. We have some of the best produce in the country. I used to work with some of the Cumbrian produce in London.”

Despite having a fine dining tag, the 36-year-old is also determined to ensure that his restaurants have a relaxed, family friendly feel about them.

“It is going to be family friendly. Relaxed is the key word, we try and use that a lot. I feel a lot of fine dining places can be stuffy, but we don’t want that,” he said.

“We got a lot of accolades for it last year, getting into food guides and national guides, and we would like to get into the AA or Michelin. We are not looking for a Michelin star, but if we could get into their guide as a restaurant that would be good.”

Perhaps the family friendly feel is partly encouraged by his four-year-old daughter Zara, who he refers to as the ‘third director!’.

The Lounge on the Green will have taster menus, a la Carte, and Sunday menus. Dishes created by James can be – as you might expect – a little more out of the ordinary.

When he and his team serve fish, chips and curry, for instance, the fish is cured cod, and the chips and curry are a surprise too. “It is about the flavour in your mouth, rather than what you see on the plate,” said James.

“We try to think of new things ourselves, and we also look at what other people are trying. I was at a restaurant in London two months ago run by Marcus Eaves, a couple of places in Cumbria and Newcastle. I have been to 41 or 42 different Michelin star restaurants.”

Dedicated to his passion for creating amazing menus, the revamp of the Houghton restaurant, which can seat 26 people, has included the kitchen area.

“The kitchen is allowing us to have more time with the food. It was very tight before. We have got some new equipment as well which we have never had before,” he said.

James first got into the industry at 14, with his family having a history of owning restaurants and cafes, before learning the trade initially at Carlisle College under tutor Andy Stacey.

“I worked at the Ramsbeck at Ullswater, which is where I started my training, then I went to London and I worked for Angela Hartnett at the Connaught in London, which has one Michelin star and is part of the Ramsay group. Then I went to work at Leeds in the Thorpe Park Hotel for a couple of years,” James recalled.

“I learned a lot at Ramsbeck – it was a small team so we had to get stuck in. The Connaught was a lot more disciplined, it was Michelin star standard, and you had your section to run.”

After that, he returned home to open Carlisle restaurant Bijou in 2007, which was followed by the Quarter Lounge, which was renovated last year.

“I was living in the village when it came up for rent, and Houghton never really had much. I thought it would be good to have a restaurant in the village. I had sold Bijou, so I just had the restaurant in the city. I wanted another challenge really.

“In 2018 we had an article in The Guardian about us, and that was when we decided to push on. We thought it was time to move in the direction we wanted to.”

When talking about his business, James always uses ‘we’ rather than ‘I’. Questioned about this, he pointed out that his restaurants are very much team efforts with the chefs and the front of house staff. He’s even been joined in the business now by his dad, Graeme.

“It is all about harmony. It is not a one man band,” he insisted.

To book a table, call 01228 739452 or go to the website, www.loungeonthegreen.co.uk