Bath Brings On the Culinary Stars
With its history of hospitality, Bath acts as a magnet for chefs wanting to make their mark in the culinary world. Many fine restaurants and some of the UK's finest country house hotels offering top class cuisine are clustered around Bath. The great advantage of "staying in" is that guests are able to do justice to the wine list without any concerns about drinking and driving. Bath is such a compact city that many restaurants are within easy walking distance for those enjoying a city break in a hotel or guest house. Bath Tourism Plus (BTP), the official marketing organisation for Bath has recently launched an initiative called "Tasty Bath". Chief Executive of BTP, Robin Bischert says " wining and dining is such an important part of a break in Bath and the surrounding area and we have a superb range of restaurants catering for every pocket and taste".
Chris Horridge, Executive Chef at the Bath Priory Hotel has the best possible credentials having trained with Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay. Like many chefs who are at the top of their profession he is passionate about his cooking and is developing a very individual style but "more by evolution than revolution" he claims. Chris sees cuisine as three elements working together and is keen to titilate all the senses with his culinary perfection. " Flavour is fundamental but the appearance of the dish makes an impact even before taste comes into play and is often underated. I am also keen to explore the nutritional value of different food combinations" he says. Inspired by art, his dishes are a joy to behold although they are not rigidly structured, far removed from the strictures of nouvelle cuisine. Not only do they use seasonal and local produce but Chris spends time finding unusual flowers and herbs to complement his dishes. He uses micro herbs extensively to infuse flavour and bring light and colour to the plate. Always happy to experiment, Chris is keen to rediscover traditonal herbs and recipes and unusual ingredients like sycamore sap which he uses like maple syrup. He has even been collaborating with Professor Tim Jacobs from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences, an expert in taste and smell..
The Bath Priory which has its own immaculately kept kitchen garden has retained a Michelin star for the seventh consecutive year. Chris is keen to convey the message that Michelin does not have to equate with " stuffy and expensive". He feels that "a two course lunch for £20 is great value", and he says the style of service is welcoming and the atmosphere is far from intimidating.
Bath Priory Hotel and Resturant
Tel : 01225 33192 www.thebathpriory.co.uk
Hywel Jones, Executive Chef at Lucknam Park has recently won the hotel a Michelin star. He earned a Michelin star for Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park where he was Executive Chef for five years. Guests at Lucknam have no trouble building up an appetite as the hotel is set on a 500 acre estate six miles from Bath with its own Equestrian Centre. Dinner is priced at £55 per person for three courses including coffee and petit fours.
Lucknam Park
Tel: 01225 742777 www.lucknampark.co.uk
After nine successful years in the centre of Bath the Michelin-starred Moody Goose restaurant relocated to Midsomer Norton. The new setting, the Old Priory, dates back to 1152, making it one of the oldest houses in Somerset. The hotel is rich in atmosphere with a huge inglenook fire place and roaring log fires to greet guests in chilly winter months. Chef Stephen Shore makes all his own breads, ice creams and petits fours and takes pride in finding locally sourced produce. Fresh fish arrives daily from Brixham in Devon, cheeses and game, fruit and vegetables are all from local suppliers and herbs are grown in the Old Priory's kitchen gardens. At £13.50 for two courses, £18.00 for three courses and £23.50 for a table d'hote dinner, this is great value for the quality of the cuisine. Starters include " Tartlet of langoustine, scallops and poached quails eggs with leek vinaigrette" and main courses such as "roast saddle of venison with polenta, grapes and juniper berry sauce."
The Moody Goose at the Old Priory
Tel: 01761 416784 www.moodygoose.co.uk
Stephen Blake has been Head Chef at the Royal Crescent Hotel for the past seventeen years. Occupying two central buildings of the magnificent Royal Crescent, the setting of the hotel could not be grander but Blake aims for "unpretentious food in a relaxed atmosphere ". His style of cooking has evolved over the years and he works with his team to create contemporary English cooking using the freshest ingredients he can get. "We adapt the menu to whatever is in season and I am very demanding of my suppliers, the quality must be the best" says Stephen. He grew up in south-east London and became an apprentice chef at the Grosvenor House which gave him a good grounding in every department. His working life has included time working in France at a three Michelin-starred restaurant.
Stephen ensures that his team are in touch with the latest culinary trends and has recently revised the Pimpernel's menu and presentation. "It is all lighter and cleaner. We use top quality produce and then combine other ingredients to bring the best out of the dish, often in an unexpected way" he says. The 'scallops with lime jelly and a green peppercorn froth' is typical, a new approach to a classical dish. The main restaurant, Pimpernel's has three AA Rosettes. Dinner at £55 per head for three courses includes canapés and coffee and petits fours. Main courses include 'baked sea bass with braised cabbage, baby fennel and star anise sauce' or 'lightly smoked Goosnagh duck with beetroot timbale, mixed leaves, lyonnaise potatoes and foie gras'. All pastries, bread, ices and sorbets are made on the premises as well as the scones for afternoon tea for which the hotel has a well-deserved reputation. Tea is served in the gardens, weather permitting, and a garden menu is available throughout the summer months for al fresco dining.
Royal Crescent Hotel
Tel: 01225 823333 www.royalcrescent.co.uk
Another chef with Michelin credentials, Mark Treasure is now ensconced at The Oakwood, the new restaurant at the exciting resort complex 'The Park', formerly Tracey Park, with two established golf courses set in a 240 acre estate. The Oakwood is a relaxed and informal grill restaurant in a converted masonic lodge located just six miles from Bath. The style of cooking is simple with emphasis on flavour and signature dishes include crudite and herb roasted fish cooked in the restored fifties Molteni oven which was specially imported from the States. The former stables have been cleverly converted into 17 contemporary guestrooms and eight meeting rooms of differing sizes, perfect for weddings and social gatherings as well as corporate events.
The Oakwood
Tel: 0117 937 2251 www.tpresort.com
The Bath Spa Hotel is set in lovely gardens at the end of Great Putleney Street tucked away behind the Holbourne Museum. The Vellore Restaurants is their star attraction with tempting starters like 'Cornish crab and scallop ravioli with broad beans and shellfish juices' and main courses include 'whole roasted quail with caramelised chicory, layered potato cake and pan-fried cepes with port wine sauce'.
The Bath Spa Hotel
Tel: 0870 4008222 www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk
The Olive Tree at the Queensberry is centrally located close to the Assembly Rooms. Set is a Georgian townhouse, it has had a total makeover in the last couple of years and now combines contemporary decoration with classic Georgian proportions. The restaurant now has stained wooden floors, leather chairs and simple decoration. A two or three course lunch offers good value at £14.50 for two courses and £16.50 for three. In the summer months guests can enjoy a drink before dining in the secluded patio gardens. Head Chef, Mark Salmon cooks modern English cuisine with Mediterranean influences. The menu changes with the season with a focus on game in the autumn months. Featured dishes include 'ham hock served with celeriac cake, with creamed peas, broad beans and parsley and 'seared tuna loin with tabbouleh and houmus'. The eclectic wine list is grouped by flavour rather than origin; wines are categorised as 'green, tangy and dry' or 'raspberries and strawberries' so they can be more easily selected to complement the food.
The Olive Tree at the Queensberry Hotel
Tel: 01225 447928 www.thequeensberry.co.uk
Nearby hotels with two AA Rosette restaurants include Homewood Park Hotel, Woolley Grange, Hunstrete House Hotel and Ston Easton Park. Ston Easton Park is among the UK's finest country house hotels and its dining room, The Cedar Tree, serves exquisite dishes using the best of local ingredients combined with herbs from the hotel's Victorian kitchen garden. Woolley Grange offers a weekend away without the guilt as the children come too. They have a lovely time with a well qualified team of nannies while their parents take a well earned break. Precious time together over a romantic dinner for two in the hotel's restaurant is what a stay at Woolley Grange is all about.
Restaurants are often fully booked at weekends so it is advisable to book in advance to avoid disappointment. For further information on things to do and see and where to stay in Bath please call Bath Tourist Information Centre on 0906 7112000 (calls charged at 50p per minute) or log on to www.visitbath.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
1. For further information please contact Nicky Hancock on 01225 332299 or by e-mail at nicky@hancockcomm.com or Debbie Ponting at Bath Tourism Plus on 01225 477441 or by email on: debbie_ponting@bathtourism.co.uk
2. Bath Tourism Plus
Bath's destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, began trading on 1st October 2003, taking over the management of tourism promotion from Bath & North East Somerset Council and in the process, establishing a ground-breaking partnership between the public and private sector.
Working with the public and private sectors Bath Tourism Plus takes full responsibility for co-coordinating the work of a busy tourist information centre, the marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business travellers, PR activity to attract the nation's top travel writers, a conference office, and development of Bath's official tourism internet site www.visitbath.co.uk. Its primary objective is to optimise the value of tourism for members.
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