Set within Hardy's enchanting village of Evershot and surrounded by rolling hills, the five-star Summer Lodge Country House Hotel a timeless style, genuine service and innovative Afternoon Tea menus.

The talented new Head Pastry Chef, Nathan Jacobs, joined the team at Summer Lodge earlier this year. Nathan’s expertise has already been well showcased as, at the start of March, Summer Lodge relaunched their much-loved Afternoon Tea – reimagined with a creative flair that is sure to impress their guests. The Summer Lodge team spoke to Nathan to learn more about the influences and passions he is introducing to the charming setting of Evershot.

How did your career journey lead you to Summer Lodge?

My career started in Cape Town at the Convention Centre. A year later I moved to the US, where I spent five years working with the best chefs in the country, honing my skills and establishing a foundation. I returned to Cape Town and spent a year working at the Hilton Hotel before embarking on a five-year period at the prestigious Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, holding the positions of Junior Pastry Sous Chef and Pastry Sous Chef, before being promoted to Head Pastry Chef.

In recent years, I spent four years as the Executive Pastry Chef at Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, creating and teaching pâtisserie. I went on to consult at L'atelier Bakery on the Keyes Art Mile in Johannesburg, before reopening Hotel Sky in Sandton, Johannesburg as the Executive Pastry Chef.

What do you love about Dorset?

I enjoy the calmer side of life and, to me, this is what I like about Dorset. I have been in Dorset for just over a month and I have found the area’s rich history and laid-back attitude very interesting. This pace of life is the complete opposite to Cape Town where I'm from and Johannesburg, where I recently resided.

What was the inspiration behind Summer Lodge’s new Afternoon Tea?

My inspiration for the new Afternoon Tea stems from early childhood memories, where I used to bake with my mum and do a show and tell at school about our creations. At the time, I had no idea my passion for baking would evolve to where I am today.

Afternoon Tea is an elegant affair, requiring food that tantalises your tastebuds, good service and good company. Further inspiration comes from my desire to delight guests coming to enjoy our Afternoon Tea experience. My aim was to create food that tastes great and looks amazing visually, which should have guests coming back for more.

What drew you to Summer Lodge?

There's no place like the hotel around us, and Summer Lodge is a truly unique destination venue. Making a trip out to Summer Lodge is always going to be special and expectations are extremely high. This expectation keeps me motivated to consistently produce top quality experiences and this, from a chef's perspective, was what drew me to Summer Lodge.

How important to you are fresh, local ingredients?

Fresh local ingredients are important to all chefs - it makes complete sense to use them when they are available. My approach is simple, find the best local ingredients possible and make the most of them. It’s beneficial to everyone to use ingredients from surrounding areas - supporting local suppliers and creating an appealing sense of place.

Do you have a signature dish?

I don't have a specific signature dish as I come up with many dishes in my style. I have developed my signature style over the years which is, to a certain degree, floral - using pretty flowers and herbs. All of the dishes I design are created with a view to always evolving my dishes and pushing the boundaries.

Signature dishes are hard to come by these days and the way I look at it is: What hasn't been done before? Everything that originated from the time of Marie-Antoine Careme or, later, Auguste Escoffier and other chefs has changed the perspective of the chefs that follow. Chefs design dishes based on flavours that pair well and plate them in their style, which then becomes unique.

Can you describe your creative style in three words?

Elegant, yet simplistic.

Afternoon Tea at Summer Lodge is available Wednesday - Sunday and is priced from £40 per person. Click here for full details.

From 1st - 23rd December 2022 a festive version of their Afternoon Tea menu will be available. See here for full details.