The new venture was created in partnership with Blackpool-based catering company Rowley’s, also the on-site caterers at Holker-owned Cartmel Racecourse.  Chef Paul Rowley has designed a menu for The Ilex based around the use of locally sourced produce, including herbs and edible flowers grown in the Holker Kitchen Garden.   

Lucy Cavendish, chairwoman of Holker Group said "It gives me enormous pleasure to announce The Ilex as our latest addition at Holker.  As a family we have always enjoyed food and the gathering together of friends in a warm and welcoming environment.  To this end I have always wanted to open a restaurant and I am delighted to be able to do so right at the heart of the estate, to share with our visitors.”

Diners will be able to enjoy the gourmet cuisine amid an inviting interior of pastel-shaded seating, soft ambient lighting, dark wood furniture and a bar made of local slate from Burlington Stone.

The brasserie is open for lunch Wednesdays to Sundays, and for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, and can be booked for private functions.  To book a table, telephone The Ilex on 015395 58999 or the Courtyard Cafe on 015395 53907.