A NEW head chef has been appointed at award winning The Devonshire Arms Hotel, Bolton Abbey.

Paul Leonard, originally from Hull, will head the team at the hotel's Burlington Restaurant from the end of July.

And he is promising to make the Burlington one of the most talked about restaurants in the country.

"I’m so looking forward to working at one of Yorkshire’s most iconic venues, and as a Yorkshire man myself, I am excited to be returning home," he said.

"I aim to make The Burlington one of the most talked-about restaurants in the UK."

He replaces former head chef, Paul Evans, who is moving away from the area because of family reasons.

Mr Leonard will be joining the Devonshire from the Michelin-starred Scottish hotel, the Isle of Eriska, where he has been head chef for two years.

Before that, he was sous chef at Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles, one of Britain’s most elite hotel restaurants, with two Michelin stars and four AA rosettes. He was also senior sous chef at

The Samling, Windermere, and sous chef at The Feversham Arms, Helmsley, and early on in his career, he was commis chef at Petrus, in Knightsbridge, London.

Mr Leonard is passionate about local produce, including fresh, home-grown fruit and vegetables, and is also a keen forager. He cites organic kitchen garden specialist, Ken Holland, at one time head gardener at L’Enclume, as an inspiration.

The pair worked together, which led to Mr Leonard setting up his own kitchen garden on Eriska, which supplied 95 per cent of the hotel's vegetables.

Mr Leonard added:" My style of cooking is light, non-fussy and natural. Freshness and quality are key, so I am blessed to have such a wonderful rural location for the sourcing of the required ingredients needed to deliver my approach.”

Adam Dyke, the hotel's general manager, said: "We are very much looking forward to welcoming Paul, he has an exceptional pedigree and we know he will certainly be taking full advantage of the kitchen gardens, beehives, and the wild and estate-farmed produce from the Duke’s estate. "It’s a very good match all round, and we are confident that he will take the cuisine at The Burlington to enjoy even greater accolades, whilst complementing our stunning location.”

Mr Leonard lives with his fiancée Robyn. They plan to marry in January, and will set up up home in the Dales.