Owned by Tim Hart – the father of high profile London restaurateurs Sam and Eddie Hart - the group was established more than 40 years ago and comprises Hambleton Hall - featuring Michelin-starred restaurant The Dining Room - Hambleton Bakery, and Hart’s Hotel and Kitchen.
The refinancing has been secured to support ongoing operations while creating capacity for future investment and expansion across the business.
Funding was provided by the Cumberland Building Society following a refinancing package tailored to the group’s hospitality and food and drink operations.
Hambleton Hall, a Grade II listed country house hotel, describes its restaurant as having the UK’s longest-retained (single) Michelin star, having first been awarded the accolade in 1982, just two years after the hotel’s opening.
Meanwhile, Hambleton Bakery, established in 2008 and led by former Hambleton Hall chef Julian Carter, now includes eight shops, a café and a wholesale operation supplying more than 200 independent retailers, restaurants and cafés. The bakery has also received national recognition through appearances on ITV’s Britain’s Best Bakery and Wild About Food.
“The Cumberland understood what we have built here and what we are trying to achieve,” says Hart.
“This is not a straightforward business and having a lender with expertise across both hospitality and food and drink sectors made a real difference.
“They took the time to understand the group properly, not just the numbers, but the ethos behind what we have built over the years.
“That level of understanding is increasingly rare, and it gave us confidence from the outset that we were working with the right partner.
“The refinancing gives us a strong foundation and the breathing room to focus on what we do best, running exceptional businesses and looking after the people who make them what they are.”
Derek Smith, commercial business development manager at The Cumberland, adds: “Hambleton Hall and Hambleton Bakery are exceptional businesses which offer a rare combination of award-winning hospitality and a genuinely thriving food and drink operation.
“What makes the group stand out is not just the quality of what they do, but the way they do it with a real focus on people, whether that is their guests, their staff, or the local suppliers they have worked with for years.
“This long-term thinking is something we recognise and value at The Cumberland.
“Our approach to commercial lending is built on understanding a business properly, not just at the point of a transaction, but over time.”
With over 30 years’ experience dedicated to providing commercial lending to hospitality businesses, The Cumberland supports organisations across the food and drink sector, offering services including commercial mortgages, current accounts and savings accounts.