THE new head chef at Thornton Hall Hotel's award-winning restaurant The Lawns is promising to showcase 'seasonality' on the menu.

Richard Collingwood has had more than 16 years experience in hospitality, having worked at a number of Michelin-starred and AA Rosette restaurants.

He describes his cooking style as focusing on 'seasonality and clarity of flavour' with a promise to always use in-season produce.

Richard told the Globe: "In a couple of months time some of my favourite ingredients will be coming available, wild garlic, forced rhubarb, morels, jersey royals and asparagus and I’m really looking forward to showcasing them on our menu.

"It’s really important to me to create a menu based around seasonality to ensure the best possible flavour in my dishes.”

Thornton Hall was recently handed a AA Silver Star Award for its 'high standards' of hotel keeping and an AA Star Rosette award for the quality of the food.

The hotel was also listed in the Michelin Guide 2019.

General manager of Thornton Hall Hotel, Geoff Dale said: “We’re delighted to welcome Richard to the team.

"He brings a wealth of skills and expertise to our already award-winning restaurant and we’re certain he can help retain those accolades and indeed improve on them.

"We’re really looking forward for guests to experience Richard’s latest menu and to see how it evolves through the seasons.”