The Principal York Announces New Executive Chef

The Principal York, part of the Principal Hotel Company portfolio, today announced it has appointed Jason Wardill to the role of Executive Chef.

Jason brings with him 25 years’ experience working as a head and executive chef and has a remit that includes designing and introducing new banqueting and meetings and events menus, as well as creating new seasonal menus for the hotel’s restaurant, The Refectory Kitchen & Terrace. Jason’s spring menu at The Refectory offers a modern take on British classics with dishes including Spiced Yorkshire lamb rump with sweet and sour relish, capers, potato fondant and red wine sauce; Short rib mac ‘n’ Swaledale cheese, and North Yorkshire Moorland Tomme cheese-crusted pork fillet with sweet potato, crispy shallots and sherry vinegar.

Utilising the finest ingredients Yorkshire has to offer, and with a focus on seasonal produce, the new delegate menus will be introduced this summer.

Richard Mansell, General Manager at The Principal York, comments: “We’re delighted to have Jason join the team at The Principal York. He has a real passion for the finest seasonal, local Yorkshire produce and the skill to deliver exceptional flavour with his dishes, whether for a large scale banquet or a smaller, more exclusive dinner in The Refectory post-meeting. We have had exceptional feedback from guests following the introduction of the new spring menu Jason and his team created for The Refectory and we’re confident we’ll have the same extremely positive reaction to the new banqueting menus from our clients.”

Prior to joining The Principal York, Jason worked extensively as a head and executive chef, including five years in Sydney, Australia, in The Star, a 5-star deluxe hotel. Jason ran his own 2AA rosette awarded pub in Derbyshire for four years and, in his first role as head chef at Rudding Park, gained 2AA rosettes heading The Clock Tower restaurant.  

The Principal York is situated adjacent to York station just outside the castle walls of historic York. Reached in less than two hours by train from London’s King’s Cross Station, recently the hotel has undergone a sensitive multi-million pound restoration project to combine historic architectural detail with all the comforts of the modern day.

Voted 2016 Hotel of the Year and 2016 Conference Venue of the Year in the Visit York Tourism awards, the 155 bedroom Principal York hotel has a dedicated event centre which can accommodate up to 410 delegates theatre-style, 300 for a banquet, 250 for a dinner and dance and 180 cabaret-style. An additional 11 meeting and event rooms include the Oak Room, which can accommodate up to 160 delegates theatre-style.