Cooking is a language.

From making the most of overlooked ingredients to the secret of perfectly rested meat, Chef Kyle Greenwood shares his approach to cooking and his tips for creating memorable meals during a Lake District escape.

Set among the fells of the Lake District, Landal Whitbarrow is a place made for slowing down. Sitting at the foot of Blencathra, between Penrith and Keswick, the resort provides a base for exploring the landscapes, lakes and walking routes of the Lake District National Park, before returning to the comfort of the resort.

At the heart of the experience is The Fellstone, Whitbarrow's dining destination led by award-winning chef and MasterChef finalist Kyle Greenwood. Kyle's cooking takes a hyper-seasonal, produce-led approach, with the surrounding landscape providing plenty of inspiration.

But while his food may find its way onto a restaurant plate, Kyle's philosophy isn't reserved for professional kitchens. For him, good cooking is about patience, flavour, creativity and bringing people together.

We sat down with Kyle to find out more about the ingredients he loves, the mistakes home cooks can easily avoid, and how guests can make the most of cooking during a holiday at Whitbarrow.

Ask a chef about their favourite ingredients and you're likely to hear about something rare, expensive or particularly difficult to work with. For Kyle, it's quite the opposite.

One of his favourite ingredients is something much more humble: fennel.

“I think fennel is probably one of my favourite unsung ingredients,” he says.

It's an ingredient Kyle values for its versatility as much as its flavour. “You can use it in desserts. You can use the flavour of it to make other things. It's got such a nice flavour. It's just a unique flavour.”

At The Fellstone, that versatility has found its way onto the menu, where Kyle uses different parts of the ingredient to create layers of flavour.

“We've got it on the menu at the minute where we've done it with all the trim of, like, a little jam for a fish dish,” he explains. “The other side of it is we have juiced it, salted it, we've kept that juice, and we've cooked the fennel in its own juice, which we serve pan fried with a bit of fish.”

It's a good example of Kyle's approach: take a familiar ingredient, look at it differently and make the most of what it has to offer.

And fennel isn't the only ingredient he thinks deserves a little more attention.

“I know that the ingredient that I think doesn't get enough recognition is wild garlic.”

Although wild garlic has become something of a favourite among chefs, Kyle believes there's still plenty more to discover.

“It's so versatile. But the things I've done with it, I've never seen anyone else do. It is an unsung hero.”

For anyone hoping to improve their cooking, Kyle's most important piece of advice is surprisingly simple.

Rest.

“Rest your meat after you've cooked it. Rest your fish. After you've cooked it, let it relax. Let it absorb the flavour that you're cooking it with.”

It's a small step, but one that can make a big difference.

Whether you're cooking steak, fish or another cut of meat, Kyle recommends giving it time to settle after coming off the heat.

“You don't want the meat being tough. You're just giving it that chance to relax.”

It's also part of a wider philosophy that runs through Kyle's cooking: don't rush.

“People rush through it. Take time to learn.”

For Kyle, cooking is about much more than following a recipe. It's a form of communication.

“I always go back to the philosophy that cooking is a language. Your ingredients are the letters. Your chef's job is to put the letters in the words to make the sentence, the sentences, the dish that you give to the customer.”

It's a simple analogy, but one that sums up his approach perfectly. Ingredients are the starting point; what you do with them is where the creativity comes in.

A holiday in the Lake District is unlikely to involve spending every evening in the kitchen. With walks to explore, lakes to discover and plenty to see and do nearby, there's a good argument for keeping holiday meals relaxed too.

So, what would Kyle cook when he's away?

“I love a barbecue.”

For Kyle, the appeal is as much about the experience as the food itself.

“You go down to a local butcher. Nine times out of ten you can get marinated things. There's not a lot of prep work involved. And you just get the cook on charcoal and have a good flavour and have a little bit of fun, have a beer, sit, watch the world go by.”

It's the kind of meal that fits naturally into a holiday: minimal preparation, plenty of flavour and no need to be watching the clock.

And if you're staying at Whitbarrow, Kyle has some simple advice on what to look for when you're picking up ingredients locally.

“My recommendation for ingredients? Good salad or good eggs. Free-range eggs. Duck eggs, if you want to push the boat out a bit.”

Good beef makes the list too.

Kyle recalls one of his favourite simple meals from the Covid lockdowns, when he spent time cooking outside at home.

“I remember sitting in the garden and I had a little Green Egg barbecue. I sat there with my steak, good butter, good eggs, and I was cooking it all, sliced some steak up and just had it for my breakfast.”

Sometimes, you don't need to overcomplicate things. You just need good ingredients.

For guests who'd rather return from a day exploring to a meal that's already waiting for them, Kyle is a big fan of one particular piece of kitchen equipment: the slow cooker.

“I think people can create good restaurant-quality flavours with basic kitchen equipment.”

That doesn't necessarily mean trying to recreate a dish from The Fellstone. Instead, Kyle recommends embracing the kind of comforting, uncomplicated food that's perfect after a day outdoors.

“It's not hard to make a nice omelette or make a nice stew or make a nice little crock pot. Let it sit all day.”

His own approach is wonderfully straightforward.

“I just like to bang everything in. Turn it on. Go for the day. I would have my walk, come back. It's done. Nice beef stew, a nice mince and dumplings, something like that.”

For Kyle, this kind of cooking isn't about fine dining. It's about comfort.

“It's not restaurant quality like what we do in here [at The Fellstone]. It's the opposite, but it's more of a comfort, cheap approach. If you're away and you want to stay in your room and have something hot when you get in, especially when the weather is a bit cooler.”

It's a philosophy that works particularly well for a Lake District break: spend the day outside, let dinner take care of itself, then settle in for the evening.

Perhaps the most revealing part of Kyle's approach to cooking is his belief in its ability to bring people together.

When asked whether cooking together is an important part of the holiday experience, his answer is immediate.

“I think cooking together is extremely important.”

For Kyle, food is about effort and that effort is part of what makes a meal special.

“Cooking is a love language.”

He explains: “It's being part of it. It's being present. It's important. You put the effort in because a good meal is effort.”

And perhaps that's why the experience of cooking together can matter just as much as what's eventually put on the plate.

“If you both sit down and enjoy it and you've both put the effort in, that's better than what you're actually eating.”

It's a sentiment that feels particularly fitting for a holiday. Whether it's a barbecue after a day out, a slow-cooked stew waiting after a long walk, or simply breakfast made together in your accommodation, food becomes another part of the memories made along the way.

And Kyle is happy to help guests make those memories.

“We've had people come over. ‘Can you sharpen some knives for us, chef? I've got some stuff. Could you perhaps heat it up or could you prep this for us?’ Yeah, no problem.”

He'll even help guests take their barbecue up a notch.

“I'll marinate some meat for them if they want, or with plenty of notice, maybe where we can elevate their barbecue a little bit.”

Because ultimately, for Kyle, great food doesn't have to be complicated. It starts with good ingredients, a little patience and the willingness to enjoy the process. And perhaps, most importantly, someone to share it with.

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