A new flavour at Farnham Estate

The new Farnham Estate Executive Head Chef is already putting his own stamp on the menu, amplifying the hotel’s food offering for customers.

Mayo man Django Getsee began his culinary career when he was just 15, and now, aged 30, he has been promoted to the top role in the Farnham Estate.

Speaking to The Anglo-Celt on Friday afternoon, he relayed his ambitions for the near future - creating a bespoke Afternoon Tea experience within the hotel, adding a food truck for walkers and golfers, bringing back the renowned Farnham Estate carvery, and making seasonal adjustments to the menus in all four eateries. These are just a flavour of what customers can expect in the coming months.

Django has a wealth of experience behind him, beginning his career in Mount Falcon in Ballina, where he spent seven years. There he trained under the guidance of Philippe Farineau, somebody he would meet in his later career working at the Farnham Estate in Cavan. He completed a level five culinary course in Killybegs, at a time when he was gaining more practical experience than theoretical - working five days of the week and studying for two. He has also worked in The Waterfront House and Restaurant in Sligo, which obtained its first Michelin rosette while he was working there and later in Delphi Resort in Connemara.

Django worked his way up from Commis Chef to Senior Chef De Partie, later Head Chef and now to the top rank of Executive Head Chef. While working his way up the rungs, he was always under the tutelage of his own Executive Head Chef, Daniel Willimont. In 2018, he came to the Farnham Estate with Daniel as a Senior Chef de Partie.

“A lot to work up in a short amount of time but, anywhere I’ve been, I throw myself into it,” Django says, now taking a break from the kitchen and sitting in one of the Farnham Estate drawing rooms.

“The Farnham is different, it’s a beast,” he smiles with a broad west of Ireland accent.

“It’s just so busy, there’s so much going on,” he describes, detailing how there are 48 members of staff on his roster between three different kitchens.

“We have four eateries, it’s a lot,” he admits, with a hint of excitement.

The father of one came to the Farnham Estate to open The Cedar Rooms, a fine dining restaurant, which is an area of cuisine he loves.

“I love the fairy, the pretty, the flowers but it’s not Cavan,” he remarked.

“It did well for a while but, over the years, we were trying to find what suits Cavan.”

After a few tries, Cedars Steakhouse was born.

“It works,” he says, adding that the “pretty stuff” is still on the menu mixed in with “good quality meats”.

“We dry age a lot of our own beef so, when you dry age, you’re basically hanging it in a fridge with a dehumidifier so it pulls the liquid out.

“It intensifies the flavour and makes it more tender,” he explains.

The restaurant is also a hit among the locals, with his own neighbours in Ballinagh complimenting the food. As well as serving local food, Django loves “using” local ingredients.

“If I can pick it from there and cook it, I will,” he says, pointing to the Farnham Estate’s own gardens and the forests beyond the window.

“The waitresses are saying, the cows are reared now even a kilometre in that direction, it’s basically reared on the site.”

When the new General Manager, Michael Weston, took over last year, the hotel began its search for a new Executive Head Chef. That’s when Django heard the words “you have a go at it”.

“Here we are now,” he declares with pride.

“I love it, I live and breathe the kitchen, cooking and hospitality, making people happy, talking nicely to people.”

Juggling everything at once, perfecting dishes and satisfying customers, all with a smile on his face, is something the chef has been doing for 15 years now. With a strong team around him including his Executive Sous Chef, Damian McGill, they have set their focus on menu planning and projects for expansion for the future.

One focus the team has is its afternoon tea offering, with rooms undergoing a revamp shortly, they expect the concept to soar even more within the hotel.

“Everything is homemade, we buy nothing for the afternoon tea,” he explains, adding that everything is “pretty” and “traditional with a twist”.

Banana and caramel bread cake, a traditional bread “layered” with cream and caramel; passionfruit yule logs; a cherry choux bun which is “filled” with cherry filling and a cherry gel on top; homemade scones; a pistachio and strawberry tart, jams and marmalades, all served with loose leaf tea, is just a taste of what’s on the constantly evolving menu.

“Afternoon tea has to be pretty and fluffy; it goes down very very well.”

In addition, those coming to the Farnham Estate for afternoon tea can also expect to get their savoury sandwiches with a twist.

Sunday lunch

The next change on the cards is the Sunday lunch, where customers can expect a return of the fine dining carvery in Maxwell’s Restaurant. Across the eateries, the menus change with the seasons. With set concepts in each, the new Executive Head Chef plans to “make it better.”

“There will be changes, there will be tweaks and improvements but the concepts will stay the same.”

In the bar, diners can expect “Spring dishes” with “more salads and wraps”, chowders and “lighter” meals. Towards the end of May, the menu in Maxwell’s Restaurant and Cedars Steakhouse will also change.

“Your lambs will be coming back, your venisons will be going,” Django gives an example.

In Cedars Steakhouse, “key steaks” such as the chateaubriand will remain on the menu.

“Where you really change Cedars is your starters, that’s what you can play with because it’s a steakhouse but I like doing quirky things like scotch eggs.

“Things that are different, things that you haven’t hear about but everything that’s trending.”

With functions, the team at the Farnham Estate will continue to strive to make their customers wishes happen. Currently, Django is sourcing a pig on a spit for a wedding party. “It’s easier to do it ourselves because at least we know it will be done and it will be done to the standard that we can stand over in Farnham.”

Food truck

Around summer time, the team plans to open a food truck for golfers or those out for a stroll to get their coffee hit down by the lake.

For now, with Friday lunch time rush looming, the Farnham Estate Executive Head Chef, is eager to get back to the kitchen to prepare for the day ahead and the weeks and months to come.

“I don’t think it gets less stressful; I think you start to deal with it and you start to manage your stress.

“I have a strong team behind me, I have great support.”

“I’m looking forward to really really putting my own stamp on it,” he concludes.