CUMBRIA'S finest stately home has announced details of its latest development adding to an already impressive and interesting range of available attractions.

Holker Hall and Gardens, set in beautiful parkland near Cartmel, has just opened a stunning new brasserie following the transformation of a private dining room.

The Ilex Brasserie has been lovingly transformed by local craftsmen using a variety of Cumbrian materials with careful attention paid to features and finishes.

The Ilex (latin for Oak) celebrates the next stage of Holker’s successful partnership with Campbell and Rowley, exclusive caterers at Cartmel Racecourse and The Holker Garden Festival.

Chef Paul Rowley has created a delicious menu of original and irresistible dishes made using local produce and imaginative ingredients, including herbs and edible flowers grown in the Holker Kitchen Garden.

Local brewery, Unsworths of Cartmel, have helped create an interesting wine list.

There is a range of spirits with gins from the Lake District, Germany and the United States, liqueurs from France and whisky from Japan.

A new bar - of Burlington Stone’s Broughton Moor slate - has been designed to compliment the elegant panelling found in the private dining room of the main hall over a traditional oak floor.

Chairman of the Holker Group, Lucy Cavendish, who has personally overseen the development, said "It gives me enormous pleasure to announce The Ilex as our latest addition at Holker.

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"As a family we have always enjoyed food. Not just its creation and consumption but the gathering together of friends and the sharing of food in a warm and welcoming environment.

"To this end I have always wanted to open a restaurant and I am delighted to be able to do so right at the heart of the estate, close to the house, to share with our visitors, old and new, from near and far."

The brasserie will currently be open for lunch Wednesdays to Sundays and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Customers will also be able to book The Ilex for private functions and all types of celebrations from weddings, birthdays, christenings and other special events.

For more information and to book call 015395 58999 or visit www.holker.co.uk.