250-year-old Northern Ireland water mill set for restaurant development

A major renovation and restoration of the 250-year-old Dundonald Old Mill is taking place, with a deli shop, café and restaurant set to open in autumn/ winter 2024.

Chef/ patron will be Carlos Capparelli, the chef behind the popular Capparelli Cooks artisan pasta, ready meals and private catering service.

Originally from Brazil, Carlos moved to Northern Ireland from London with his young family in December 2020. In London, Carlos spent 12 years working in some of the city’s top kitchens including Ottolenghi and Gordon Ramsay.

The project is being supported by Yotam Ottolenghi, the chef-patron behind the incredibly successful Ottolenghi group which has seven delis and restaurants in London. Carlos spent nine years working closely with Yotam across several of the London restaurants, including his role as head/ exec chef of NOPI in London’s Soho.

Yotam said: “I’m thrilled to be supporting Carlos in this venture. Carlos was one of the most gifted chefs that worked for me and as soon as he found his own restaurant, I knew I wanted to be involved. As a regular visitor to Northern Ireland I am really looking forward to mentoring him on his own journey, and of course, visiting when it opens!”

Carlos continued: “This project has been a long time coming, but we’re so excited to see work start at the site. We first visited the mill back in July 2020 when we were still living in London; to now be at the stage where work is beginning, we couldn’t be happier.”

The restoration and renovation are due to be completed in autumn/ winter 2024. The deli shop, café and restaurant will be an all-day dining and visitor destination, creating jobs for the local community and bringing a much-loved local building back to life. The restaurant will seat approximately 55 people, with seating for an additional 15 within the café/deli shop.

Jack Blakiston Houston, of BH Estates, owners of the Dundonald Old Mill site and investors into the project, added: “We are particularly excited to be working as partners with Carlos. We are confident the substantial restoration will breathe new life into the old mill, retaining the heritage of the site but also enhancing it and creating a new food and drink destination. The original building will be transformed in a project that combines the old and the new and fits perfectly with the local setting and the important local heritage building which includes the largest working water wheel in Ireland.”

Alongside Carlos Capparelli and Yotam Ottolenghi, the board is completed by Paddy Bamford, originally from Belfast and who has several hospitality interests in London, Lucie Capparelli, a Belfast native who works in food and drink PR and comms and Richard Aldworth of BH estates.