The Cottage in the Wood, located in Whinlatter Forest near Keswick, Cumbria, has announced new ownership. Jack and Beth Bond, who joined the team in January 2024, have purchased the property from its former owners, Liam and Kath Berney, who are retiring after 22 years at the helm.
The Cottage in the Wood, originally a 17th-century coaching inn, was transformed by Kath and Liam Berney into a restaurant with rooms in 2002. The restaurant was recognized with a Michelin star in 2019, which has been successfully retained ever since, with Jack Bond being the most recent chef to retain the highly regarded culinary accolade earlier this year.
The Cottage in the Wood has undergone a remarkable transformation under the stewardship of outgoing owners Kath and Liam Berney, who diligently set about transforming it into a cozy, contemporary restaurant with rooms. Today, this idyllic mountain retreat has begun a new chapter in its long history, as husband-and-wife team Jack and Beth Bond seek to carry on from where Kath and Liam will leave off. They will take the property forward in their respective roles, with Jack as head chef, and Beth as general manager and head sommelier.
Jack and Beth bring a wealth of experience with them. Originally from Southport, Jack has worked in some of the best restaurants and hotels in the world, including Eleven Madison Park, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Claridge’s, and The Berkeley. Jack’s style of seasonally led cooking is precise, flavour-driven, and sustainably focused. His menus champion exceptional ingredients and the artisan suppliers who create the produce he uses.
Beth graduated from Imperial College with a physics degree before joining Tredwell’s Restaurant in London in 2015. She was promoted to Guest Relations Manager in 2018 under the tutelage of chef-owner Chantelle Nicholson. Beth became General Manager in 2020 and, in response to the pandemic, opened All’s Well, a ‘pandemic pop-up’, and launched the group’s at-home delivery service. In 2022, Beth oversaw the opening of Chantelle’s most recent ‘flagship’ venture, Apricity, Mayfair. Beth and Jack made the move to the Lakes in 2023 before joining the team at The Cottage in the Wood in January 2024.
The couple has exciting plans for the future of The Cottage in the Wood, which they will reveal in due time. They’ve already begun to set out their vision and have made an impression, with Beth being included in the 2024 Boutique Hotelier Power List and listed among the UK’s Top 100 Sommeliers 2024.
Jack and Beth commented: “We are hugely excited to be taking over ownership of The Cottage in the Wood. It’s been a pleasure to work alongside Liam and Kath over the last few months as they’ve helped us settle in and gain invaluable insight into the business that they established in 2002.”
Adding: “There’s no doubt that they’ve played a significant part in helping to put this corner of the Lake District on the map and that’s something that we will both continue to do. Like Liam and Kath, we both care deeply about how the business operates, and are fully committed to continuing to build on and evolve many of the sustainability initiatives already in place, as well as introducing several new ones. All of which will further strengthen the overall ethos of the business as we take it forward. We’re looking forward to welcoming guests as we embark on this new chapter in The Cottage in the Wood’s future.”
