Work is set to start this March on the creation of two new luxury guests suites at the Black Bull, Sedbergh, which was recently listed as one of the UK’s top 50 gastropubs, located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The next phase of the Black Bull development will see an existing stone cottage located in the 17th century Inn’s stable yard be sensitively restored and transformed.
The Cottage, a £250,000 project, will see the creation of a ground floor garden suite, sleeping up to four people, with a separate seating area, sunken bath in the contemporary ensuite, as well as providing new external spaces and a ‘wildflower garden’ for guests to enjoy.
While the upper floor’s suite, with its double height roof space will reveal and celebrate a unique existing roof structure constructed from ancient ship’s timbers. Externally the suite will lead onto a new external wrap around terrace complete with seating area for those wishing to take in the views of Winder and the Howgill Fells.
The Cottage suites design will see the contemporary concepts taking their inspiration from aspects of ‘Ryokan’, traditional Japanese inns. Though now more often frequented by walkers and visitors ‘Ryokan’ are still feted for their impeccable hospitality ‘omotenashi’ and multi-course seasonal ‘kaiseki’ dining and hearty breakfast spreads, which are philosophies that guests staying at the Black Bull will most certainly recognise and attest to.
Head Chef Nina Matsunaga has taken ‘kaiseki’, to new heights. At the heart of this simple multi-sensory dining experience is the fact that ingredients are at their tastiest, most vibrant, most flavourful and most nutritious when they are in season.
Alongside this Nina has taken the ethos of regional German cooking centred around wholesome hearty dishes made with vegetables to develop a very distinctive and innovative culinary style.
Nina is producing food that makes you sit up and take notice. Using the very best fresh produce available from the landscape surrounding the Inn, she creates dishes with a twist, inspired by the fusion of two very different cultures, her rich Japanese and German heritage.