Meet James Hollister: The Culinary Visionary Behind Tillingham’s Kitchen

James Hollister brings a world of culinary experience and passion to Tillingham’s dining experience. With a career spanning Michelin-starred restaurants and global influences, he’s not just a chef, but a storyteller who believes food is about more than taste, it’s about connection, sustainability, and creating memorable experiences.

Q: Your culinary journey seems deeply rooted in family. How did your love for cooking begin?

A: My love of cooking began in childhood. My Grandmother was a professionally trained cook, and I have fond memories of long Sunday lunches and afternoon teas at her house with homemade cakes, a beaded tea cosy, the works. On the other side of the family, my Jewish grandmother survived a concentration camp during WWII by working in the kitchens, and that story has always stayed with me; her leftover roast chicken with rice and sweetcorn is still one of my all time favourite dishes.  Food was a big part of our family culture; my parents were great home cooks, too. My mum’s spaghetti bolognese is still unbeatable, and my dad would make amazing barbecued prawns with a soy, chilli, and lime dipping sauce in the Summer. We were also lucky enough to eat out often, so I developed a love and curiosity for restaurants early on. There’s even a family story about me sneaking downstairs after bedtime aged five to polish off an entire plate of prawns that my parents had bought on a day trip to Hastings. 

Q: You’ve worked in some incredible kitchens. What were some of your most formative experiences?

A: My time at Boxwood (Gordon Ramsay Holdings) was a big learning curve and gave me the discipline I carry with me today. Working at Nahm by David Thompson was transformative; we’d receive weekly deliveries from Thailand with the most incredible, fresh ingredients; pandanus leaves, betel leaves, holy basil, things I’d never seen before. It completely changed my understanding of flavour and cooking. My time in Brazil, working with chefs like Alex Atala and sommelier Daniela Bravin, also profoundly influenced my approach to cuisine and wine/pairings. 

Q: How would you describe your cooking style?

A: I’d say it’s fresh, vibrant, and – if I can be frank – fucking delicious! But more importantly, I’m all about letting ingredients speak for themselves and I’ve learned that often less is more. It’s about understanding the ingredients, respecting them, and allowing their natural flavours to shine.

Q: What attracted you to Tillingham?

A: Everything! From the walled garden that supplies our produce to the bread, the farm, the grazing cattle, and the incredible space, it’s a holistic approach to food and sustainability that really resonates with me. We’re not just a restaurant; we’re creating an ecosystem where every element matters.

Q: Sustainability seems crucial to your philosophy?

A: Absolutely. Sustainability isn’t just about saving the planet – it’s about creating a responsible business model. This means fair treatment of staff, minimising food waste, and being conscious of our environmental impact. Did you know that roughly 30% of the world’s food supply goes to waste? That’s something we’re committed to changing.

Q: What can our guests expect from your menu?

A: Seasonality is key. Our menu will change with the seasons, focusing on what’s fresh from our garden. Take our lamb dish, for example – we use Beak and Tail’s incredible Pevensey lamb, serve it with morels, wild garlic, and we even use potato skins to add texture and reduce waste.

Q: Finally, what’s your ultimate goal in the kitchen?

A: It’s about creating those magical moments – ‘foodgasms’ if you will – when a guest takes a bite and you see pure joy on their face. That’s why we do what we do. It’s not just about feeding people; it’s about nourishing them, telling a story, and creating an experience.

With James at the helm, Tillingham’s kitchen promises to be a place of innovation, sustainability, and extraordinary flavour. We can’t wait!

Why not join us for Lunch or Dinner in our Michelin Green Star Restaurant –  bookings here

After the leaves drop from the vines, though late October/early November, the vineyards can feel quite empty and austere, on a cold and dreary winter day, to look out and see no growth or canopy, some of the romance of a vineyard can sometimes be lost. If you’re not into traipsing around in the English winter drizzle, doing manual labour that is. Which by default must mean that vineyard folk LOVE doing just that. What a funny bunch.

After 5 or 6 months of there being no green growth on the vines through the winter, this moment becomes all the more exciting – budburst! With the last few warmer weeks, the vines have fully woken up, and this year’s growth is underway. What starts off as tiny woolly tufts emerging from the canes, there is now a sea of leafy emeralds, gleaming in a huge array of colours.

After months of all the vines looking pretty much the same, it’s the first time we get to see the character of the different varieties emerge again. Looking out over Saw Pit vineyard in front of the terrace, there is a clear distinction between the colour and growth in the shoots of the Pinot Noir (bright lime green), the Pinot Meunier (silver & pink), and the Ortega somewhere between the two, but already much bushier. Each has its own character, just as we see in the wines.

Speaking of wine, the first round of kegging has started for the 2024s. A format we’ve been fond of for some years, but have now really leant into. The goal is to have our core range of wines entirely served from keg on site, omitting the need for glass – a fizz, white, rosé & red. This year will be the most we’ve ever done with c. 12,800 bottles going into this format. The first kegs of the 2024 Rosé and R will be tapped this weekend if you’re keen to try – English gamay anyone?

Tierney Beames | Wine Manager

Check out our wine shop | HERE

It’s incredible what a week of all out sunshine and blue skies can do. The verges are heaving with primroses, daffodils, three-cornered leek and the obligatory wild garlic… The first few early pairs of shorts have been spotted, and as if by magic (the endless work of farmers Sophie and James), the fields are full of newborn lambs. It feels a bit like spring.

Tierney Beames- Wine Manager

”February often feels like a short month, but in the wine world it is crammed with events. The trade returns to hosting visits, tastings, and discussions, sharing the highs and lows of the previous years harvest. There is the inevitable FOMO from not attending the salons in the Loire…

In the winery we have tentatively started to turn our attention back to the ’24 wines that were put to bed before we rolled into the new year. We have started to taste through everything, getting to know the different batches, and understanding their progression ahead of beginning blending trials.

It is cold in the winery. This means the wines can be shy or a little awkward. ‘They are just teenagers’ Salvatore reminds us. And he is right. The wines, like teenagers, can be shy and awkward. But they can also be strong willed, rebellious and outspoken. They can also be gentle and kind. All those factors eventually balance the scales to make a well rounded individual, so a little unbalance at this point is no concern. Whilst the wines certainly haven’t grown up just yet, it is exciting to see their personalities emerge and get a glimpse of where they’re headed.

Since it is tasting season, we are also checking back in with the ’23 wines that are yet to be released. Some things that have been waiting in barrel, now nearly ready to bottle, and others in bottle that were given time to rest before release. Our traditional method will be given some more time, but the PN23 is ready to go. Watch this space…”

We have recently launched our PN23, gentle bubbles enlivened with flavours of wild strawberry and rhubarb leading to a floral finish with complex apricot notes⁠.⁠

BUY NOW ON OUR WINE SHOP

In this weeks Journal we interviewed the wonderful Billy over at our favourite brewery, Brewing Brothers. We often are at the same events and have worked very closely together over the years. Our latest venture, using our left over Grape skins from our Chenin blanc and Chardonnay and using them to infuse a delicious Lager, this is how we came to POM. Now available in tins and on draught in our Bar. 

Can you share the story behind Brewing Brothers and how your passion for beer came to life?

Established in 2016 by Ned and Charlie after a visit to the U.S. where they came across brewhouse culture. It dawned on them that the UK was falling behind in the world of craft beer. They also felt that here in the UK, the art of brewing beer was widely unappreciated, often left to an anonymous character behind closed doors. This spurred the need for change in Ned and Charlie. So, in August 2016, with the help of Billy they opened the doors to the first of the brewing brothers brewhouses.

At Brewing Brothers, what principles guide your approach to crafting beer, and how do you balance innovation with tradition?

Brewing Brothers is founded on the belief that simplicity is best. We feel that by offering simple products we are able to focus more on quality over quantity. 

Our collaboration on POM, the lager brewed with Tillingham’s leftover grape skins, was an exciting fusion of beer and wine-making traditions. How did the idea come about, and what was the brewing process like?

We love utilising ingredients that might otherwise be put to waste, adding an extra chapter to its story. The idea came about from a desire to work together and somehow combine beer and wine. Harvest was coming up and this seemed like a great option to trial a collaboration between us.

POM brings together two worlds—beer and wine. How would you describe its flavor profile, and what excites you most about the final product?

Ultimately POM is a very refreshing lager. The nuances brought on board by the pomace are obvious yet subtle. Lemon peel and fresh cut grass are two notes that undoubtedly come from the Chardonnay and Chenin blanc skins. I think what excites me most is how it appeals to such a wide audience. It’s balanced and refreshing yet with an added layer of complexity.

Using leftover grape skins for POM highlights sustainability and reducing waste. How important is sustainability in your brewing practices, and do you see it influencing future projects?

The brewing industry can be very wasteful and can also be a high consumer of energy and resources. Mitigating this and improving our sustainable practices is incredibly important to us and the work we do at Brewing Brothers. On a sunny day our brewery can almost entirely be run on solar power; we don our wellies and get out planting trees in local areas; we compost a lot of our waste and return it to the soil in which we grow vegetables for our venues.

The list goes on and it’s something I could talk about for hours. We have plans to improve our sustainability further and hope to one day be at the forefront of sustainability in the brewing industry.

What’s the experience like collaborating with a winery like Tillingham, and how does working with others inspire new ideas in your brewing?

We’re also led by a sense of community and believe in the importance of working with neighbours. We frequently do this with neighbouring breweries so it was really cool to collaborate with a winery. Especially one as renowned as Tillingham. Collaborations are such an important part of what we do and are integral in our ever evolving business. There is yet to be a collaboration I haven’t taken away some knowledge or experience from.

With POM as the starting point, do you see more opportunities for blending beer and wine-making techniques, or future collaborations between Brewing Brothers and Tillingham?

Absolutely! We love working with Tillingham. It’d be great to start looking at some longer term projects such as barrel aging, blending or even some events!