Newly appointed Hope Estate group chef Anthony Fullerton has put his stamp on the menu at Tower Lodge in Pokolbin.
The restaurant at Tower Lodge - formerly the Spanish-themed Sebastian restaurant - has been reinvigorated to offer a Hunter Valley produce-driven approach to dining, including beef and greens grown on the Hope family's own estates.
Fullerton brings with him a dedication to using local and home-grown produce and an award-studded career history.
Hailing from Griffith, in the state's southwest, he was most recently recognised for having opened the Bull & Bell Steakhouse where about two-thirds of the restaurant's produce is sourced from farmers within a 300-kilometre radius.
Fullerton was named Australian Hotels Association Australian Chef of the Year in 2022 while the restaurant came in at No.92 in the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2023 list.
He also designed the menu for Hope Estate at The Landing, which opened in August.
At Tower Lodge and the broader Hope hospitality portfolio, Fullerton plans to "step it up a notch", using the Hope family's own beef from their Barrington Valley farm in the Upper Hunter, which are transported to the pastures adjacent to Hope Estate for a 40-day grain-based feed up. The grains are used from the other operations onsite - the brewery, winery and soon-to-open distillery - creating a sustainable production approach across the Hope outlets.
Fullerton is keen to introduce a dry-ageing facility onsite and to try raising different breeds of beef and lambs for diversity. He also plans to build a house-made charcuterie line and would like to open a Hope Estate smokehouse.
At the Tower Lodge restaurant he lets the ingredients speak for themselves.
"With the Hunter's rich and diverse food bowl delivering such a wide variety of premium produce, we are all about celebrating the products themselves," Fullerton says.
"We let the food do the talking and add sauces and salts, as well as side dishes to really allow the hero produce to shine.
"At Tower Lodge restaurant we prefer to offer shared plates to dedicate each course to a whole cut of meat, fish or cut of lamb, and if creates both a real sense of conviviality and a spirit of generosity."
Guests as well as visitors can enjoy lunch and dinner at Tower Lodge. Visit towerlodge.com.au or phone 4998 7022.
