Cumbria's Food Scene Goes from Strength to Strength: A conversation with Chef / Owner Kevin Tickle, Heft
- James Massoud
- Jan 22
- 6 min read
At the foot of Whin Brow in the quiet hamlet of Newton in Cartmel, Heft feels less like a destination restaurant and more like something that has always belonged there. Since taking over the 17th-century inn in 2020, Kevin Tickle and his wife Nicola have quietly built one of the most compelling dining rooms in the country, one that's rooted in Cumbria’s landscape, shaped by community, and guided by a deeply personal understanding of seasonality, sourcing and restraint.
In this conversation with The Knife, Kevin reflects on reviving a village pub during the pandemic, earning and retaining a Michelin star, and why Cumbria’s culinary rise has been decades in the making.
When you and Nicola first revived the 17th-century inn as Heft during the pandemic, what was your core vision for the restaurant, and how has that vision evolved now that Heft has earned a Michelin star?
When we first looked around, we fell in love straight away. The building hadn't been loved for a while and needed some serious attention and a good clean, but she was underneath it all! We wanted to revive the village pub but also have a space to serve the food I'm known for. I think we succeeded in this, but as time has gone on, we've learned to have more fun with our offering and add extra evenings when the restaurant is shut, which attract different guests. We've also really enjoyed the community we've created, with locals and regular diners all becoming part of an extended family.
Heft occupies a unique position: a former village pub with a bar, yet behind it, a finely tuned tasting menu restaurant. How do you balance the warmth, informality, and local-pub character with the precision, consistency and refinement required of a Michelin star dining room?
I've always wanted my food to be served with a level of informality, to allow everyone to feel comfortable and welcome. The village pub is recognisable to everyone, and I think it makes people feel at ease with us, but the dining room is set just away from this and benefits from the atmosphere of the bar. We have the same ethos across the whole site: quality produce, and friendly, considered service, which means that the same level of care goes into any of our bar snacks as it does with our restaurant food.
You grew up foraging, fishing and exploring rural Cumbria, and that background clearly influences your cooking. How do those formative experiences shape your menu choices today, and how do you think they give Heft its distinctive voice?
I've always used local where possible, keeping quality high and really understanding the difference between seasonal produce and something that's flown across the planet. It's a win-win on taste, environmental factors and local economy. It's something we very often see as a base level standard and is part of the fixtures and fittings.
Cumbria boasts a remarkably varied ‘natural larder,’ from upland Herdwick lamb to coastal seafood, foraged herbs, dairies and orchards. How has building personal relationships with local farmers, foragers and producers influenced what you put on your menu, and on what you might decide to leave off?
I've been in the industry for nearly 30 years now, and friendships are into second generations of farmers and producers, as well as watching people's businesses grow alongside ours. We don't find ourselves influenced to leave anything off the menu, but we really do feel that supporting others, who support us, is a deep and meaningful relationship that hopefully shines through to what we offer.
Your menus are deeply seasonal and hyper-local, but creativity often demands pushing boundaries. How do you decide when to stay strictly seasonal and local, and when to occasionally source from outside Cumbria or take creative liberties to serve a 'complete' dish?
We do source from outside the county; we're not going to cut our nose off, but the main core of each dish will always be as local as we can get it. Even if that means straying into Lancashire!
You chose the name 'Heft' deliberately, referencing the idea of 'hefted' sheep tied to these lands, and by extension, a sense of rootedness. What does that concept of 'being hefted' mean to you personally, and how does it guide your philosophy in running Heft?
It's a subtle vein that runs through us, we have our life here, grew up here and now have our business here. We know the area and the people, and are immensely proud of our county and what it produces. Everything that we produce, hopefully, shows this.
Cumbria now has more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than anywhere outside of London. From your perspective, what are the main ingredients in this regional renaissance; talent, produce, community, tourism, or something more intangible?
We're lucky on so many fronts; we have the landscape that tourists adore, which has provided a huge industry. Now it's refining, and we have all these stars, but it's always been great, it's just taken others a while to realise! We had the first country house hotel; Sharrow Bay was the place in its heyday, and it's the creator of the best sticky toffee pudding in the world. We've always had good farming and produce, but for a long time, fast food was a thing. We're circling back around now and realising that quality is where it's at, and people are willing to come for it. Now people are moving to the sticks instead of heading to the big smoke, and there's a real hospitality subculture up here.
Some chefs argue that Cumbria’s success isn’t about competition but community: chefs, producers, growers and foragers working together, raising each other’s standards. Do you see that collaborative spirit in action, and how has it shaped Heft’s relationships within the local food community?
Definitely, we're not so cut-throat. We all love what we do, but we also like to head into the hills via country pub or spend the day by the lake. Work-life balance! As a result, we are all around to bounce ideas off and enjoy each other's spaces.
Operating fine dining in a small village (rather than a city) must present unique challenges. What are the biggest hurdles you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?
Probably our biggest hurdle is affordable housing for staff. It's been an effort for years, but COVID has really ramped it up with so many people buying up properties for Airbnb's. Then wages need to be higher, then meals need to be higher, and we're in a circle of hell. We tend to find that we often lose staff to bigger operations that can afford to house them.
With access to such a rich local landscape and many artisan producers, how do you balance ambition with responsibility, especially in terms of sustainability, animal welfare, foraging ethics, and protecting the land that provides your ingredients?
I've always foraged responsibly. Unfortunately, not everyone does, which is sad. We also only work with suppliers who have a similar mindset to us.
With Heft being Michelin recognised and firmly on the map, what are your long-term ambitions? Are you thinking of expanding menus, adding new rooms, experimenting with different formats or maybe mentoring the next generation of Cumbrian chefs?
We have an eye on the future, but right now, we're just getting through this period of time, which feels harder than it ever has. We have some young chefs working for us, and hopefully they will for a while yet!
For someone coming to Cumbria – whether first time or a local rediscovering it – what are three things you think they should absolutely taste or experience to understand what makes this region’s food scene so unique?
Bring a cool box, get yourself to a farm that sells its own meat or to a farmers' market. Kendal Farmers Market and Yew Tree Farm, Coniston, are two that spring to mind. Then swing by Low Sizergh Barn on your way home and get some organic veg to finish off your meal. I promise you, they'll be about the best ingredients you'll ever taste. I'd also head out into the wild on a walk, with a crisp pint of Cumbrian beer at the end. We'd go to Loughrigg or Rydal caves with a cold pint of Pale Ale at Lakes Brew Co's new taproom in Ambleside to finish. I could go on, but that's a good three to start with!
