Meet James Ramsden
~ Tuesday 11 August 2026 ~
Meet James Ramsden, Culinary Director at Peckish, and discover the thinking behind the menus, the importance of seasonality and the approach to food that's shaping weddings, seasonal events and life around the Newsham table.
There are some people whose ideas simply feel at home in a place.
From the moment we began talking with James Ramsden, it became clear that we shared the same outlook on food. Not just how it should taste, but what it should do.
Food has the ability to bring people together. It marks life's biggest celebrations, starts conversations around the table and creates memories that last long after the final plate has been cleared away.
That belief sits at the heart of Peckish.
As Newsham continues to grow, Peckish is becoming an increasingly important part of our story. Weddings will always remain central to what we do. Every menu is created knowing it will become part of one of the most significant days in a couple's life, and that responsibility is never taken lightly.
But the values that shape those wedding menus don't belong to weddings alone.
They are equally at home around a long table shared with friends on a September evening. They belong at seasonal suppers, harvest feasts and gatherings where exceptional ingredients and generous hospitality take centre stage.
James has spent more than twenty years championing exactly this way of cooking.
His career has taken him from award-winning restaurants and Michelin-starred kitchens to bestselling cookbooks, television and writing, but his philosophy has remained remarkably consistent. Cook with the seasons. Respect the ingredients. Source locally wherever possible. Create food that people genuinely want to gather around.
It's an approach that feels entirely natural at Newsham.
Surrounded by Yorkshire farmland, local producers and an estate shaped by the changing seasons, we believe the best menus should reflect where they are created. Not because it's fashionable, but because it simply makes sense.
When ingredients are at their very best, they need very little intervention.
That's the thinking behind every Peckish menu, whether we're preparing a wedding breakfast for 140 guests or welcoming people to one of our seasonal dining events.
The difference is never the level of care - only the occasion.
Over the coming months, James will also become a familiar face through Newsham Life, our editorial series exploring the people, ideas and craft that shape the estate.
Rather than simply showing finished dishes, we'll be sharing the conversations, ingredients, suppliers and seasonal moments that influence what eventually arrives on the table. Because good food rarely begins in the kitchen. It begins much earlier, with the people who grow it, rear it, make it and care deeply about it.
Those stories deserve to be told.
As Newsham continues to evolve, Peckish will continue to do what it has always done best: create generous food for meaningful occasions.
For some, that will be the wedding breakfast they've spent months dreaming about.
For others, it might be an evening around the table at one of our seasonal events.
Different occasions.
The same belief that good food has always been about far more than what's on the plate.
Five Minutes with James
What first drew you to Newsham?
"It was the shared outlook. Food here isn't an afterthought, it's part of the whole experience. There's a genuine respect for the seasons, for local produce and for bringing people together around the table."
How would you describe the philosophy behind Peckish?
"Simple food made exceptionally well. Start with the best ingredients you can find, don't overcomplicate them and cook with confidence. When produce is at its best, it speaks for itself."
Weddings are at the heart of Peckish. What makes cooking for a wedding different?
"You're creating memories. Couples might forget exactly what the table linen looked like, but they'll always remember the meal everyone talked about afterwards. That's a privilege, and one we never take for granted."
What's one ingredient you're most excited about right now?
"Whatever's at its peak. At the moment it's beautiful Yorkshire tomatoes, herbs straight from the garden and produce that's only available for a few short weeks. That's what keeps cooking exciting."
What's your idea of a perfect meal?
"Good company, a bottle of wine that's made to be shared, simple seasonal food and absolutely no rush."
What's one thing you hope guests feel after eating at Peckish?
"I hope they feel looked after. Hospitality isn't just about serving food. It's about making people feel welcome enough that they don't want the evening to end."
Join us around the table
If you'd like to experience James' cooking for yourself, our upcoming seasonal events, including Steak Night and future Peckish suppers, offer the perfect introduction.
Or, if you're planning your wedding at Thirsk Lodge Barns, you'll discover the same ingredient-led philosophy at the heart of every menu we create.
Related Posts
Notes from Peckish Kitchen - Summer
13 August 2026August brings the garden and kitchen into their own. From ripe tomatoes and freshly picked herbs to the best of Yorkshire’s seasonal produce, James shares what’s catching his eye right now and inspiring the menus at Peckish as we look towards September.
Garden Harvesting Through the Summer
12 August 2026There is a distinct cadence to a North Yorkshire summer that you only truly learn when your hands are in the soil.
Introducing Newsham
18 June 2026To many people, Newsham Road is simply a quiet stretch of countryside road running between Thirsk and Northallerton. But to our family, it means something far greater. Running directly through the heart of our land, it connects every part of our world - from the farm and wedding venue to our hospitality ventures in town - ultimately becoming the inspiration behind the Newsham name itself.
