Head Chef at the Old Stamp House in Ambleside, Cumbria, Will Bolsover had an interest in food since he was eight years old. Inspired by his father, he was thrown in at the deep end of hospitality at a young age and has been excited about cooking up a storm ever since.
What were the key steps in your development and career?
I began with working in a professional kitchen at age 17. It taught me the basics, and it taught me discipline, responsibility, among other key values. Whilst doing this, I was doing my Level 2 and 3 Diploma in Professional Cookery at Kendal College. This was key in strengthening those values even more and also having fun and meeting people. But the biggest step in my development was joining the Old Stamp House team. I feel like I’m in my element there, and Ryan has taught me a lot!
Who are your food heroes?
From a very young age, I was watching cooking programs on TV; Keith Floyd, Rick Stein, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Ramsay, and Bourdain. I was obsessed! So, these guys would be top of the list!
Who have been your key mentors?
Through college, Richard Axford was one of my tutors; he was very supportive and a great tutor!
But Ryan Blackburn has been the main one. I started my time with him when I was very young, and he’s taught me a lot, not just about food and cooking but also about business and how to run a successful restaurant.
What’s the best thing about the hospitality industry?
There are a lot of great things about our industry! I love making people happy; it brings me so much joy. So, to see customers smiling and enjoying the food is a great feeling.
You meet a lot of very interesting people; lifetime relationships are formed. Also, for me, the thrill of service, it’s hard to explain, but it gives you a buzz, a little adrenaline hit in a busy service, the pride and satisfaction seeing everything you’ve worked towards leave the kitchen and go to the guest.
When you have a great team, it makes everything easy. Service becomes a rhythm, you almost get into a trance, you don’t have to speak, everyone knows what needs to be done.
What cuisines, flavours, ingredients or techniques are you loving right now?
I’m loving protein done simple: whole fish, whole birds, game, just cooked nicely and served with simple garnishes. I’ve been getting into preserving a bit more, too, smoking/salting/drying.
Tell us about your place and the philosophy behind the food?
The Old Stamphouse is a little basement restaurant in the centre of Ambleside, which once served as an office to the poet William Wordsworth, where he worked as a distributor of stamps (hence the name). Old flagstone floors, low-beamed ceilings, make dining here like stepping into local history. The philosophy behind the food is serving quality local Cumbrian produce. All of our food has a story
behind it, a little bit of history and always links to Cumbria in one way or another. We keep flavours clear and balanced. In a nutshell – local produce, traditional methods, modern precision, approachable.
