Lime Wood Hotel: New Forest
Nestled in the heart of the New Forest, Lime Wood Hotel isn’t your typical country house hotel. Lime Wood has become a haven of understated luxury, known as much for its impeccable hospitality as for its extraordinary culinary prestige. At the centre of that culinary heartbeat is the hotel’s restaurant Hartnett Holder & Co. - a relaxed, approachable, yet refined dining experience founded by Chef Luke Holder, and Angela Hartnett OBE.
Championing opportunity for all, regardless of background, qualifications, or experience, Lime Wood Hotel partnered with Umbrella Training over six years ago to nurture emerging talent through structured hospitality apprenticeships.
Together, Umbrella Training and Lime Wood set out to create meaningful career pathways that combine hands-on learning with long-term development in an environment centred on quality, progression, and care.
Apprentices at Lime Wood undergo a blend of in-kitchen learning and off-site development, touching on everything from culinary skills to leadership, sustainability, and emotional intelligence. The result is young chefs who are not only technically competent but resilient, motivated, aligned with the hotel’s values and most of all – happy to be a part of such a nurturing environment.
“Apprenticeships with Umbrella Training are about hands and heart, building resilience - allowing people the space to get things wrong and to learn from that.”
— Luke Holder, Chef Director at Lime Wood Group
At a time when the hospitality industry is redefining itself, Lime Wood Hotel’s commitment to apprenticeships through Umbrella Training stands as a shining example of what’s possible when training is treated not as a necessity, but as a craft.
