Having now officially hung up his chef’s whites at the Lough Erne Resort, leaving his role of Culinary Director, Noel McMeel has revealed that he is planning to pen a memoir about his experiences in the culinary world.

“There’s mystery and probably some scandal,” said Noel, talking to The Impartial Reporter about his plans for the book, commenting that it “will not be like the last one”.

“I will be telling the truth about a lot of things in life itself, not just about the Lough Erne [Resort] because Lough Erne has been totally amazing. But it’s been a long journey, so now it’s time to tell the story,” he added.

After 15 years, Noel’s last day at the luxury resort was on Saturday, December 31, which he described as an “unbelievable day”.

He told this paper: “It was one of the most spectacular days. It was very sad, but it was actually a really happy time, because everybody was so happy for me.

“Every single member of staff gave me a hug. It was quite unreal,” Noel added, noting how he will miss working with the Lough Erne Resort team, including his successor – the resort’s new Executive Head Chef, Stephen Holland.

“I’ll miss their energy. The people were part of my family as we all spent so much time together in the kitchen.

“The likes of Stephen and the rest of the team, they have the passion, the drive, the courage to really want to get up and go every day. They love a change.

“That’s one of the great things about the Lough Erne [Resort] – the vision of what it is like to change.

“I can’t wait to come back as a guest, because I know that what’s in store for the Lough Erne Resort is something really, really great,” said Noel.

As he takes on the mantel from Noel, Stephen says he is looking forward to getting his “nails into the business itself and the culinary world”.

He said: “Noel has done an exceptional job over the years and I suppose there’s no time like the present just to do some changes to the menus.

“[They’ll be] very much supplier-based, focused menus. Just the small touches of what Stephen Holland can really bring to the culinary landscape of the Lough Erne Resort in 2023,” adding that he already has plans for both the Loughside Bar and Grill, and the Blaney Bar.

“I’m looking at new menus in our Loughside Bar and Grill, which is going to be a really nice steak house.

“My aim is for it to be one of the nicest steak houses in Northern Ireland,” Stephen said, confidently.

For the Blaney Bar, Stephen plans to introduce what he has coined the ‘Opulence Menu’, which will feature dishes inspired by his former travels to Dubai, New Zealand, Australia and America.

“I saw great people along the way that created and cooked amazing food. The ‘Opulence Menu’ is basically the extraordinary flair of food from around the world.

‘Great people’

“I want to bring it to Fermanagh and showcase it with the best of Northern Irish produce,” he said, noting how he works with “great people” to create his visions.

“Great chefs and I have great suppliers that are bringing great food for us. With the Blaney Bar, I really want to emphasise how good our bar food can be, also with some little quirks and changes along the way.

“That’s what I have up my sleeve for 2023,” Stephen told this newspaper.