Chris Harrod unveils plans for The Whitebrook restaurant

Harrod, who trained under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, became chef-patron at The Whitebrook in 2013​​ and it has held a star since 2014.

Now he and his wife Kirsty have full creative control and hope to renovate the property, adding further overnight bedrooms including a ‘dog-friendly’ room.

There are also plans to expand the restaurant and improve staff accommodation, as well as implement a full events diary.

"We have so many exciting plans and are just delighted that this purchase brings us a big step closer to making them a reality at The Whitebrook,” says Harrod.

“Now that we have acquired the freehold we'll be upgrading the fabric of the property…expanding the restaurant to add more luxury and ensure that the business has sufficient scale to cover the ongoing fixed costs of delivering a very high quality restaurant offering.

“We'll also improve staff accommodation. The somewhat isolated location means staff generally need to remain on site and given the difficulty in attracting high quality workers to the area, the staff accommodation is an important element to ensure the success of the restaurant."

Almost all produce on the menu at The Whitebrook is sourced from the Wye Valley, either grown in the kitchen garden, foraged from the countryside or bought from suppliers within a few miles.

Harrod appeared on the 2018 series of Great British Menu, representing Wales.