Famed chef to keep it simple and local at new luxury £15m Ebrington Hotel and Spa in Londonderry

Noel McMeel, culinary director at the luxury Ebrington Hotel and Spa in Londonderry, which is scheduled to open its stylish doors next month, promises guests and other visitors “modern Irish cuisine” that will focus on creative dishes based on seasonal ingredients mostly from local suppliers.

Noel’s stellar career has been developed around “a very simple goal: finding, preparing and serving fresh food in season”. He’s achieved this superbly over the years and promises an exciting new chapter in Londonderry.

Noel has already developed close links with dozens of suppliers in the north west, including Limavady stalwarts Corndale Farm Charcuterie and Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oils, and from other parts of Northern Ireland.

“It’s very much about my passion for our indigenous local ingredients such as Comber Potato, Lough Neagh Eel, and the Armagh Apple,” all three have gained EU PGI accreditation,” he explains. “It’s all about taking the best of local ingredients, cooking these as little as possible, and serving with great skill.”

He proved to be a tremendous ambassador for local food, including local fish and seafood and meat, during his extensive stint as culinary director at the famed Lough Erne Hotel and Resort, introducing royalty, presidents and prime ministers, including those attending the G8 Summit, and pop stars to rich and varied local.

Noel’s cuisine, considered one of the world’s best, has won dozens of prestigious awards from discerning judges. His internationally acclaimed book, The Irish Pantry is the third best-chef cookery book in the world. And it’s easy to see why it’s been so successful, because it helped refocus attention back on the contribution of generations of families to the development of Irish food.

One of Ireland’s most respected and successful chefs, Noel surprised the hospitality world here recently when he switched from Lough Erne - after 15 years - to the new Ebrington complex to begin ‘from scratch’ in creating the outstanding menus at the stunning £15 million hotel, once an army barracks, and now the home of offices and local enterprises such James Huey’s unique Walled City Brewery and historic Amelia Earhart gin distillery.

The four-star Ebrington Hotel is the brainchild of visionary developers Cecil Doherty and Liam Tourish, the investors behind the exceptional 90 bed four-star hotel with exceptional spa and leisure facilities. It is poised to become a major feature and creative focus of the local tourism and hospitality industry. The restaurant will seat 140 in outstanding style.

Noel says he welcomed the opportunity the new hotel provided to create a totally new and different food experience for visitors, tourists and, of course, Londonderry residents. It was a new and challenging chapter in his already distinguished career.

“I was really excited when the developers approached me to develop the food for the new hotel,” Noel says. “I was a chance to establish the reputation of the new hotel and Derry for outstanding culinary excellence. He loved his time at Lough Erne, a tremendous resort, golf course and hospitality magnet, which attracted international recognition for its facilities and the excellence of his food, especially in the famed Catalina Restaurant overlooking the picturesque lough.

“It was the challenge to do something new and different in Derry, which is beginning to realise its potential as a tourism centre and as a global destination for great food and drink within LegenDerry."

From farming stock in Co Antrim, Noel gained his love of food and respect for the seasons from this rustic upbringing. “I’ll never forget the field in which I was raised,” he says. “Basics must be the best. Organic, simple, local, and fresh.”

Cooking has long been his passion. His earliest ambition was always to be a good cook. “I loved food,” he continues. “Food was very much a thank you, made from my mother’s and my family’s skilled hands. Most was sourced from the farm - and other local farmers - and prepared with respect to be enjoyed round the table.”

He remembers his mother helping him bake his first cake when he was just nine. He continued to hone his skills and experience at home.

Noel subsequently received a scholarship to the prestigious Johnson & Wales and Boston University and went on to work in some of America’s most famous restaurants including Le Cirque, Chez Panisse, and Jean-Louis (Palladin) at the Watergate, where he first met President Bill and Hilary Clinton. He has gone on to set his standing in the industry as a superbly creative chef.