James Duckett Is Moving
As of Saturday 23rd July 2011 my restaurant in Barnstaple has been closed and I will be moving operations to the Highbullen Hotel and Country Club in the heart of the North Devon countryside near Umberleigh.
On the one hand I am saddened to bring down the shutters on almost three years of serving discerning diners from North Devon and beyond at the Old Custom House. On the other, I am delighted that my move will not only allow me to be able to continue to serve my existing customers in the delightful surroundings of the Highbullen estate but also to raise the bar further in terms of the standards of food and service I am able to offer.
As executive chef at Highbullen I will have responsibility for food service operations across the entire Highbullen estate covering the hotel; the adjacent sports and entertainment complex, Vista; the Country Club ‘Green Bar’; and private dining in a number of houses and lodges on the Estate. In the hotel itself, there will be three food offers; a set price three course hotel menu in Neil’s Restaurant, an à la carte bistro menu in the Cellar Restaurant; and a choice of set price tasting menus in the new fine dining Restaurant James Duckett at the Highbullen Hotel.
I hope to be able to continue with various activities which I’ve introduced while at the Old Custom House; such as my private members’ dining club, wine tasting dinners and cookery school at Highbullen. So, if you have purchased or are in receipt of one of my gift vouchers I can assure you that you will be able to redeem it at Highbullen. However, I fully understand that you may feel the new location is inconvenient for you or that because of its location you may wish to extend its validity. In either case this will not be a problem, if you contact me by email or by telephone on 01271 370123 I’ll be happy to either refund the value of your voucher or extend its validity to enable you to use it at Highbullen at a time convenient to you.
The next couple of years will, subject to the appropriate consents, see a substantial investment to make Highbullen one of the country’s most prestigious luxury country house hotels enjoying spectacular views over the North Devon countryside and offering a range of facilities, second to none.
A phased development will include, among other things; complete refurbishment of the existing Highbullen manor house with additional bedrooms; the building of new kitchens, fine dining restaurant with chef’s table and private dining facilities in the Hotel; and development of Vista to include the opening of a brasserie. Improvements will be made to the existing 18 hole golf course and there are plans to expand the shooting, fishing and myriad of other outdoor pursuits on offer.
I will be moving to Highbullen in September 2011 and expect to open my James Duckett at Highbullen restaurant and commence foodservice across all of the Estate’s outlets later in the autumn. I will update this page when plans are more fully developed and you may keep in touch with day-to-day news by subscribing to my blog. Eventually my website will be completely overhauled and integrated with the Highbullen website; meantime you may get a feel for what is in store at Highbullen by taking a look at the main section of my existing website. For more information about Highbullen and developments there over the coming months go to the Highbullen website.
Finally, if you are an existing customer of mine I’d like to thank you most sincerely for your support during my time in Barnstaple. I’ve enjoyed cooking for you and hope to continue to do so at my new venue for many years to come.
