From Kitchen Dreams to Culinary Creativity: Meet Callum Hawkins, Executive Chef at The Nest

What makes a great getaway? A beautiful place to stay, plenty to do, time to relax, and, of course, something delicious to look forward to when you sit down to eat!

At Bainland, food is far more than fuel for your next adventure; it’s an important part of the experience. Whether you’re planning a family adventure, a romantic escape, celebrating with friends or simply taking a few days to switch off, good food brings it all together. 

At its heart is The Nest, our restaurant, bar and social hub where guests can come together, relax and enjoy great food and drink throughout their stay. From leisurely lunches and family-friendly favourites to succulent steaks, Sunday dinners, fish and chips to something delicious to accompany that well-earned glass of wine, The Nest gives you plenty of reasons to stay for dinner.

But who is behind the food?

Behind much of that culinary magic is Executive Chef Callum Hawkins, whose approach combines modern British cooking, seasonal ingredients and a healthy dose of creativity.

We caught up with Callum to discover where his love of food began, why Lincolnshire vegetables deserve more attention, what goes into creating the perfect steak, and why sometimes it’s the smallest details that make the biggest impression.

Meet Callum

Callum’s love affair with food started long before his professional kitchen career. “I’m the only kid in reception that wanted to be a chef,” he laughs. While other children dreamt about becoming astronauts or footballers, Callum was busy cooking with his mum and grandmother at weekends. And clearly, he was serious about it. “I even used to collect menus like a nerd,” he notes. This early fascination has since developed into a career built around creativity, organisation and a serious appreciation for good food.

As Executive Chef at The Nest, Callum is responsible for much more than what arrives beautifully presented at your table. His role includes menu development, organisation and all the behind-the-scenes planning that allows the kitchen team to do what they do best.

His cooking style? Modern British, with occasional continental influences.

One of his favourite things about working at The Nest is having the freedom to experiment. “I enjoy the freedom to try new techniques and ingredients to broaden mine and the team’s skill set,” he states.

That spirit of experimentation is a perfect fit for Bainland, where there’s plenty of room to try something new; whether that’s a new dish at The Nest, a new activity on the estate or simply a new way of relaxing.

Behind the Scenes

Being an Executive Chef isn’t all about dramatic plating and shouting “service!” across a busy kitchen. Well… there is some of that.

Callum’s typical working day starts at around 10.30am, when he tackles the essential behind-the-scenes organisation and paperwork before checking in with the kitchen team. Nevertheless, as the afternoon rolls around, things start to get a little more exciting.

Around 4pm, he heads into the kitchen to prepare for the evening service. He checks his prep, organises his tools and gets his section of the pass ready for the night ahead. Then the tickets start flooding in.

From that point, Callum becomes something of a culinary conductor, coordinating the kitchen team, managing timings and communicating with front of house to make sure every part of each dish arrives at the right time.

“When I have been passed the individual elements for each dish, then I put them together on the plate and call for service,” he says. It’s fast-paced, precise and completely dependent on teamwork.

When the last plate leaves the kitchen, there’s still the cleaning to do before Callum finally heads home at around 9pm.

“Each dish you serve is an appraisal,” Callum affirms. A brilliant philosophy, and one that perfectly captures the attention to detail you can expect at The Nest. Every plate is an opportunity to impress, every meal is part of someone’s holiday, and every little detail can become part of a celebration.

Putting Lincolnshire on the Plate

Great cooking starts with great ingredients, and there’s no need to look far at The Nest. For Callum, sourcing locally isn’t simply about ticking a box. It’s about knowing where the ingredients come from and building strong relationships with the people supplying them.

“We want to know where our produce comes from. We feel like we can trust it more if it comes from down the road,” he explains. Building relationships with local suppliers is also important, leading to better communication, stronger partnerships and, crucially, a greater understanding of where produce originates.

The team works with a trusted group of suppliers to make sure the kitchen can meet demand.

“When I write a menu, I send it to my suppliers to double check that they will be able to keep up with demand or advise on alternative ingredients, if necessary,” he adds.

It’s a simple but important part of creating a successful restaurant menu. Local and seasonal is fantastic, but it also needs to be reliable enough to deliver the same great experience for guests’ day after day.

When it comes to Lincolnshire produce, Callum has a particular favourite: the vegetables.

“Lincolnshire is arguably most famous for sausages and Lincolnshire Poacher, but in my opinion, the best ingredients out of Lincolnshire are the vegetables,” he affirms.

The county’s fertile soil can produce two crops a year where many other places produce one, giving chefs access to an abundance of fresh, seasonal produce.

For Callum, that means plenty of exciting ingredients to work with.

Seasonality matters

Seasonality plays a major role in what appears on the menu at The Nest. When ingredients are at their best, they taste better, and for Callum, they’re also more enjoyable to cook with.

It also feeds into sustainability. “Fish, for example, have peak seasons too,” he adds. “Choosing fish at the right time can mean better flavour and texture while also supporting a more sustainable approach to sourcing.”

So, while the menu might look effortless when you sit down at The Nest, there’s plenty of thought behind what makes it onto your plate.

How a Dish Comes to Life

Ever wondered how a chef comes up with a completely new dish? For Callum, it starts with the main event. “I start with the main protein of a dish, then look at what’s in season and the sustainability of ingredients,” he explains. From there, it’s a delightful combination of creativity and planning. Which flavours work together? What textures will bring the dish to life? How will each element look on the plate? Callum visualises the finished dish before sketching out the initial idea.

When asked which dish currently gets his vote at The Nest, there’s a clear winner – the steaks. “The time and effort that goes into each steak really sets them aside from everywhere else,” he adds. So, if you’re a steak lover, consider that your cue!

But Callum’s favourite dishes aren’t necessarily the most complicated. In fact, he says the little things can be the most rewarding. Being told that The Nest serves the best fish and chips someone has ever eaten is fantastic, but Callum particularly loves hearing about those smaller details.

“When people tell us our gravy is amazing, or the steaks, that’s what matters to us because those are the things we spend a lot of time and effort on.”

And there’s another guest favourite that has earned a special place on the menu: traditional Sunday dinners. The passionate kitchen team has worked hard to perfect the whole experience – not just the flavours, but the execution and delivery too. So, if you’re searching for things to do in Woodhall Spa on a Sunday, spend the day exploring Lincolnshire before settling down to a proper Sunday dinner at The Nest!

More Than Just a Meal

Set within 45 acres of beautiful Lincolnshire countryside, Bainland’s beautiful countryside setting doesn’t just provide a backdrop for your holiday, but it also inspires what happens in the kitchen. Where possible, the team uses wild ingredients and herbs from the on-site herb garden, something Callum is keen to develop even further. It feels like a natural extension of Bainland’s surroundings.

For Callum, getting the food right is an essential part of creating a memorable stay. “Not only do guests want to have a top-quality stay, but we also want the best service as well as the best and most expansive food offering we can.” That’s the philosophy behind The Nest: food that works for the whole family, the whole group and all kinds of occasions.

Whether you’re bringing the children, enjoying a romantic break or celebrating something special, the aim is to make everyone feel welcome.

If you’re celebrating with a larger group, you don’t necessarily even have to leave your lodge for dinner, with private chef and bartender services available for groups of 10 or more, allowing you to bring the restaurant experience straight to your accommodation.

The secret ingredient? Teamwork

Of course, creating great food for a busy holiday resort comes with its challenges. The Nest has a large kitchen team, and for Callum, one of the biggest challenges is making sure everyone is looked after. However, when everything comes together, it’s also one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

“The most rewarding thing is when a busy service has gone perfectly, everyone in the kitchen has had a good night and a customer comes to the pass to personally thank us, makes all the hard work worthwhile,” he states.

Away from the kitchen, Callum has a particular ingredient he loves working with – fish. “Once you know how to cook it properly, it’s so versatile,” he says. “Each fish has a different flavour, and there’s so much you can do with it.”

It’s another example of the chef’s appreciation for ingredients that can be transformed in different ways, depending on the season, the cooking technique and the flavours around them.

Come Hungry, Leave With Memories

At Bainland, wake up surrounded by Lincolnshire countryside, head out for an action-packed morning with a woodland walk or cycle ride, take a dip in the heated pool, relax in the outdoor hot tubs, explore the on-site spa and then wander over to The Nest for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Throughout your stay, challenge the family to a game of badminton or tennis, enjoy live music, raise a glass on the terrace, or tuck into a Sunday dinner. When it’s time to unwind, simply sit back and let someone else do the cooking. When the day is done, retreat to the comfort of your luxury lodge, where four-legged members are welcome to join in on the fun too.

No matter the type of stay, the passionate kitchen team at The Nest creates dishes with curiosity, care and a genuine love of great ingredients, all led by a chef who still gets excited about discovering what each ingredient can do.

So, come for the countryside, stay for the hot tub, explore, relax – whatever you do, come hungry