The King John Inn

Giles Coren was highly impressed. His Times review of the King John Inn at Tollard Royal on the Wiltshire/Dorset border described it as having “a lovely, light, unponcey sympathetic style” and “good, simple, modern home cooking”. Overall, he awarded the food eight out of ten – very impressive by his high standards.

Behind the recent refurbishment works and responsible for the cuisine are Alex Boon and his wife, Gretchen. Having had previous experience of the restaurant business, they left the industry for a short while to set up a wholesale wine business. Built in 1859 and named after one of King John’s hunting lodges, the Inn was almost derelict when they first saw it. Nine months later they opened with eight bedrooms. That was almost a year ago and the pair have not looked back. Gretchen has overseen the refurbishment with the help of local craftsmen like Francis Ruffle Designs. Five sumptuous bedrooms are in the main building. The remaining three are housed in the coach house, along with a wine shop. Here, Alex has put his past experience to good use and patrons may purchase wines they have seen on the wine list. In all, they stock 160 wines, largely from France with some New World bins and they are the import agent for several wine estates.

“We see ourselves as a hearty country pub serving good local food” says Alex. And it doesn’t get much more local than this. His butcher is Simon Harvell in Iwerne Minster, four miles away and venison comes from a mile distant. “In fact”, adds Alex, “there’s not much on the menu that has to travel more than five miles in any direction to reach us. You can’t get much fresher than that!” In the kitchen is a team of five chefs, busy preparing such mouthwatering dishes as Portland crab; partridge and wild mushroom terrine; twice baked Westcombe cheddar soufflé –and to finish — apple & fig crumble or banana and chocolate bread & butter pudding.

Alex and Gretchen had dealt with coffee supplier, Café du Monde before and appointed them again when they set up the King John. Naturally, they selected the free on loan cafetière system once more, but this time, to complement the unfussy bedroom décor, they added Café du Monde’s Service en Chambre bedroom beverage system.

“Our previous experience of Café du Monde left us well satisfied”, says Alex, “otherwise we would not have re-appointed them. It’s a big thumbs up for the coffee, but that tells only half a story. To that, add the excellence of their support service, with friendly staff demonstrating total commitment.”

The Fox and Hounds Llancarfan near Barry

Macmillan Cancer Support is such a worthy cause and coffee system supplier, Café du Monde, has supported the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning for the past 5 years, raising over £50,000. This year’s fundraiser was held on 25th September and they distributed free coffee to their participating customers.  The customer raising the most money this year was the Fox and Hounds in Llancarfan near Barry in the idyllic Vale of Glamorgan.

This pub restaurant with rooms is the heartbeat of the village and was purchased by the villagers themselves in 1999, when it was threatened with closure. It is no wonder, then, that the community rallied round present owners, Sue and John Millard. Between them, they raised the magnificent sum of £1,110 for Macmillan. Planning the event began weeks before with prizes being donated for a grand raffle. On the day, there was a ‘bring and buy’ and home-made cakes were baked and bought – all in addition to the coffee morning itself. The event was even advertised in the local newspaper. Says Sue: “We are a very close knit community here and many residents have their own personal experiences of cancer. Because we all believed in the cause, it came as no surprise just how much we had raised. This is our best effort so far, bringing our five-year total to over £3,000. Thanks and congratulations to all our customers.”

In 2001, Sue and John bought the Fox and Hounds from the villagers in return for a commitment to continue to run it as a pub. Today, it is renowned in the locale for its food, with 8 en-suite bedrooms drawing tourists to South Wales and business people visiting nearby Cardiff. John, a classically trained chef, runs the kitchen personally with the help of his sous chef, Darren. Their cuisine is traditional home cooking, served in hearty portions. Their Cod in Beer Batter is widely regarded as the best in Wales.

The association with coffee supplier, Café du Monde, goes back to when they first opened. They use a free-on-loan cafetière system, serving Continental and Decaffeinated blends from elegant glass cafetières. They also offer espresso-based speciality coffees from a Mon Ami 50 bean-to-cup machine supplied by Café du Monde.

Of their coffee supplier, Sue says:

“We would not change Café du Monde for the world. Their coffee is just the best. They have been with us since the start and are so supportive. Office staff are more like friends than suppliers and competitors don’t even bother knocking!”

Jamming at the 606

This iconic doorway is the entry to one of Europe’s finest jazz clubs. It’s the 606 Club in Lots Road, a stone’s throw from fashionable Chelsea Harbour. No lesser authority than Jamie Cullum has described it as “London’s best music venue”. Curiously, there is no 606 Lots Road, the Club takes its name from 606 Kings Road, where the Club spent the first 11 years of its life. In the best tradition of jazz clubs, its success is measured by atmosphere and entertainment values rather than décor or furnishings. With its metal stairs, stark brick walls and bare wooden tables and chairs, one critic has likened it to a Chicagoan Speakeasy during prohibition.

All this presages fine entertainment and good food at affordable prices. Proprietor, Steve Rubie, took on the Club from the original founder over 30 years ago and the “6”, as it is known to its members, continues to attract the best in musical talent. Himself a respected musician, Steve has worked with the world’s finest musicians, many of whom have performed at the Club, including John Dankworth, Claire Teal and Mica Paris. In fact, as many as ten bands perform here weekly, making the 606 the biggest employer of British and UK-based jazz talent.

There is no stage as such; acts perform eyeball to eyeball in close communion with their audience. Food is served at table, cheek by jowl with your neighbour. If this leads you to lower your expectations of the cuisine, then the surprise is that much greater when you realise the food is of a remarkably high standard.

In charge of the kitchen these past 14 years is Jean-Pierre, known to all and sundry as “JP”. His menu offers a choice of seven mains, accompanied by an eclectic wine list. You would really have to party hard to break a £50 note — and that’s not just for a meal, it represents a full night’s entertainment. Where else in affluent Chelsea could you find such value?

Most diners conclude their meal with a coffee and, dissatisfied with his supplier, Steve turned to Café du Monde, who installed a free on loan cafetière service. Now, the quality of the coffee is without question and served in an elegant way that does full justice to a fine meal.

Says Steve: “In frustration, I turned to the manager of my other establishment, Lot’s Larder, just round the corner and he recommended Café du Monde. We haven’t looked back since and that was two years ago. Not only is the coffee top rate, it’s affordable and just as in the jazz world, it’s a bonus to be able to deal with nice people!”

For Club details see www.606club.co.uk

The Dial House

Be prepared to be spoiled! The Dial House Hotel in Bourton-on-the-Water is the most picturesque building in the prettiest village in the Cotswolds. Built in 1698 by local architect, Andrew Paxford, from mellow Cotswold stone, it even predates the iconic bridges over the nearby river Windrush. Originally called ‘The Vinehouse’, it was renamed in the early 19th century after the large sundial above the front door.

In turn, a house, doctor’s surgery and, for the past 30 years, a hotel it is the sort of building you can easily fall in love with. Present owners, Elaine and Martyn Booth did just that 18 months ago, following their return from Australia seeking new challenges. In that short time, their vision has turned The Dial House into one of the finest luxury experiences in the Cotswolds.

The hotel exudes country house charm – mullioned windows, inglenook fireplaces, low Cotswold stone arches, beamed ceilings and poor boxes. The new owners regard themselves very much as custodians of a precious jewel and privileged to be adding to the building’s rich history. They are gradually developing the interior with sumptuous rich fabrics in keeping with the character and splendour of this venerable old building.

Head chef, Jamie Forman, previously a rising Michelin starred chef, has also worked alongside Raymond Blanc before taking the highly respected Cotswold House Hotel to 3 rosettes when he was Head Chef there. He and his brigade of chefs serve lunch and dinner seven days a week. He delights in serving local produce whenever possible, such as Lighthorne lamb and Gloucester Old Spot pork, but is never afraid to seek produce from further afield when quality dictates, as evidenced by the regularity with which hand-dived Gairloch scallops appear on the menu. His team’s efforts have been richly rewarded with two AA rosettes — the maximum for a first assessment — with the promise of a third at the next visit if standards are maintained.

Elaine and Martyn first met their coffee supplier, Café du Monde, at a Condé Nast Johansens’ function and they have since gone on to supply coffee and equipment throughout the hotel. That includes stainless steel thermal cafetières serving Kenya coffee in the dining room and lounge; a La Spaziale espresso machine with Fairtrade coffee beans to cater for the takeaway trade in the hotel’s new gift shop and deli and the elegant Service en Chambre Petite bedroom beverage service in all bedrooms.

“The personal service we get from Café du Monde is impeccable” says Elaine. “For sure, they know their beverages, but more than that, they have an in-depth understanding of what we are trying to achieve and help us at every stage along the way.”

Dillington House

Dillington House is one of the most beautiful conference and training centres in the South West of England. It is architecturally breathtaking in a bucolic setting of 100 acres of mature parkland on the fringes of Ilminster in Somerset. Operated by Somerset County Council since 1949, it is a calm and relaxing backdrop for some serious thinking, strategic planning or team bonding.

There has been a house on this site for more than a thousand years and the present grade II listed house and mews dates, in part, from Tudor times. The house was acquired through marriage by Lord North, Prime Minister to King George III. After his death in 1792, Dillington was eventually sold to John Hanning, whose descendants still farm the surrounding estate.  Architecturally speaking the house, with clear Elizabethan, late Georgian and early Victorian Gothic influences, has emerged as a harmonious setting for its present purposes.

Today Dillington House plays host to its own programme of concerts and public lectures, whilst also offering residential courses in a wide variety of subjects. It caters for companies or private groups wishing to run their own training sessions or conferences and is a popular venue in the area for weddings. The latest addition is The Hyde, a residential arts studio which now gives the complex 11 conference rooms and 40 bedrooms, catering for functions from 2 to 160 people, who have just one thing in common – a need to sustain the inner man.

Serving up to 160 covers per day is an integral part of the Dillington proposition. In charge of catering and a key member of the management team is George Ceely, recruited 18 months ago for his vast experience as catering manager at Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton, where he was unfazed by serving a broad spectrum of diners, from royalty to ‘squaddies’. He describes the cuisine as wholesome home cooking with the emphasis on regional suppliers. Given notice, the menu can be themed to match individual groups’ interests. The provenance of all meat used here is well documented by the local butcher in Ilminster. Journalist and broadcaster, Rosie Boycott, supplies Dillington House with salad, vegetables, fruit and 650 eggs a week – and that incurs nil food miles, since her smallholding is right next door!

Café du Monde has been supplying Dillington for 10 years with all its coffee and coffee equipment. Says House Manager, Loraine Newcombe: “Coffee is the first thing delegates want when they exit their seminars. So it has to be good. But more than that, we rely on our coffee supplier to advise us on the correct type of coffee service for different occasions. It is our good fortune to have met Café du Monde, which knows its business backwards. I recommend them without reservation”.

The Manor House

Castle Combe, “The prettiest village in England”, where time has stood still since the Middle Ages, is the setting for a true jewel of English hospitality. A heraldic crest, embedded in a pair of unpretentious wrought iron gates at the end of the village, is the discrete entrance to a driveway, which winds alongside the river Bybrook and tantalisingly reveals The Manor House Hotel in all its breathtaking beauty.

Originally built in the 14th century to replace the dilapidated Norman castle, after which the village is named, it has seen many Lords of the Manor. The most famous is believed to have been Sir John Falstaff, immortalised by Shakespeare in Henry IV. The Barony of Combe continued for some 850 years until 1947, when it was sold and sympathetically evolved into a luxurious hotel and golf club, part of the acclaimed Exclusive Hotels group. Its grounds cover 365 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens and include the Manor House Golf Club, a championship course with daily hand-cut greens and manicured tees.

In their room, guests can expect a pillow menu, fresh milk, warm, homemade biscuits and the comfort of hand-sprung mattresses. Many bathrooms have huge walk-in showers, with heated floors and invigorating body jets. Some even have plasma screens so you won’t miss your favourite programme from the sumptuous luxury of your bath.

If you’ve never really considered a hotel restaurant as a dining venue before, the three AA Rosette Bybrook restaurant will surely change your mind. Executive Chef, Richard Davies, has vast experience with Gordon Ramsey and with running his own Michelin-starred restaurant, Sawyards, in West Sussex. The Manor House is committed to supporting Food Heroes, an Exclusive Hotels’ initiative to promote and work with local suppliers from in and around Wiltshire. Produce for the Bybrook restaurant also comes from the kitchen garden, where a family of hens and chickens range freely.

The coffee supply for the hotel, golf club and indeed the whole of the Exclusive Hotels group is in the hands of Café du Monde. That includes cafetière service, bulk brew filter coffee, a La Spaziale espresso machine using Fairtrade coffee beans and the innovative ‘Service en Chambre’. This is a deluxe gold embossed, leather bound in-room beverage service system, that includes cafetière coffee, tea bags and ancillaries for guests to enjoy a hot drink in their room.

Hotel General Manager, Paul Thompson, described the service he gets from Café du Monde: “For a prestigious 5-star hotel like The Manor House, the quality of the end product is paramount. With Café du Monde, that is a given. But other factors are important too. We need a single supplier for our diverse coffee needs from bedroom to lounge, from dining room to banqueting. They take care of that comprehensively. The icing on the cake is their service. They are responsive, personable and very efficient.”

Luton Hoo Hotel

Luton Hoo, a majestic and impos­ing grade I lis­ted build­ing, has been sens­it­ively and immacu­lately trans­formed into a lux­uri­ous five-star hotel by new own­ers, Elite Hotels, fol­low­ing a £60 mil­lion invest­ment. Although less than a mile from the M1 motor­way in Bed­ford­shire, this Robert Adam man­sion house enjoys a beau­ti­ful rural set­ting in 1,065 acres of park­land and gar­dens cre­ated by fam­ous land­scape gardener, Cap­ab­il­ity Brown. The grandeur of the house with its giant tapestries, elab­or­ate fire­places and glint­ing crys­tal chan­deliers is reflec­ted in the way it has been used as a back­drop to some very fam­ous films, per­haps most not­ably, “Four Wed­dings and a Funeral”.

The res­tor­a­tion work has res­ul­ted in an impress­ive com­plex of hotel, con­fer­ence centre, golf course and spa with 35 spa­cious rooms and suites in the Man­sion House and a fur­ther 109 bed­rooms in the Park­land, Adams and Flower Garden wings. The improve­ments con­tinue with War­ren Weir, a purpose-built 84 room con­fer­ence centre avail­able for exclus­ive use, set to open in spring 2009.

For exquis­ite fine din­ing there can be few more spec­tac­u­lar set­tings than the award-winning Wernher res­taur­ant, named after one of Luton Hoo’s most dis­tin­guished former own­ers, dia­mond mag­nate, Sir Julius Wernher. The exotic marble pan­el­work and richly col­oured fab­rics are remin­is­cent of the Palace of Ver­sailles. Housed in the his­toric former stables, the Adam’s Bras­serie offers a more informal style of din­ing. Its décor is bright and con­tem­por­ary; its walls lined with stills from the many films shot on loc­a­tion here.

Each of the bed­rooms has a Ser­vice en Chambre Petite. This neat way for guests to serve bever­ages in their room com­prises teas, cof­fees, hot chocol­ate and ancil­lar­ies all housed in a styl­ish mahogany box together with pol­ished stain­less steel cafetiere, mini kettle and two por­cel­ain mugs.  The hotel has dis­creetly incor­por­ated it into the built-in ward­robes. Café du Monde has recently joined forces with Newby Teas to become the main sup­plier of teas and herbal infu­sions to hotels and res­taur­ants through­out Eng­land and Wales. Luton Hoo chooses from a range of black, green and fruit teabags for guests’ bed­rooms and uses Newby leaf teas through­out the hotel.

“The qual­ity of the Ser­vice en Chambre present­a­tion appealed to us imme­di­ately” said Deputy Gen­eral Man­ager, Mat­thew Long. “It fits well with the décor in our rooms and handles bed­room bever­age ser­vice in a com­pact and eleg­ant way. The products are first rate and the ser­vice response from Café du Monde is outstanding”.

Lake Country House

Hot off the press! Lake Country House of Llangammarch Wells in Powys has been named Hotel of the Year, Wales 2008/9 at the AA Centenary Awards 2008 held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel earlier this month. The award was presented to hotel owners, Mr. & Mrs. J-P. Mifsud, by celebrity chef, James Martin. The AA describes the hospitality and service at the hotel as “of a consistently high standard with a fantastic proactive approach to staff training”.

It is not difficult to see why this striking country house has been so deservedly rewarded with such a prestigious accolade. It stands serenely amid 50 acres of parkland featuring rhododendron-lined trails and riverside paths with the local attractions of golf, game fishing, horse riding and walking in the beautiful Elan valley and Brecon Beacons National Park. With its indoor pool and spa, it makes an ideal destination for romantic and luxurious breaks.

For 27 years, the hotel has been in the hands of Jean-Pierre and Jan Mifsud, who together also own another award-winning hotel, the Northcote Manor in North Devon. Now a luxury “Red Star” hotel, originally built as a hunting and fishing lodge, today it boasts its own spa, a par 3 golf course and putting green, croquet lawn and tennis court. Some of the best fishing in Wales may be experienced on 7 miles of the Arfon Irfon and a 3 acre lake in the grounds.

Dining in the restaurant is an experience to savour, with the emphasis on fresh local ingredients, prepared under the creative vigilance of head chef, Sean Cullingford. Sean has been at the Lake House for almost 10 years, having learned his trade in top food establishments in Wales, England and Switzerland. His recent awards include being accepted into The Master Chefs of Great Britain and receiving Condé Nast Johansens’ award of ‘Most Excellent Restaurant 2005’.

Exceptional culinary standards are complemented by fine coffees from Café du Monde, suppliers to the hotel for the past two years. They installed their cafetière system, which includes stainless steel cafetières, provided on a free loan basis. A range of speciality coffees is prepared courtesy of the Company’s Mon Ami 75 bean-to-cup machine using Grand Cru coffee beans.

“In all our years at Lake Country House and Northcote Manor, we have never met another coffee supplier with such outstanding credentials as Café du Monde”, says Jean-Pierre. “It goes without saying that we chose the coffee to match the quality of the rest of our food menu. Added to that, their service levels are without peer. We strive to provide the best in all we do and, so far as coffee is concerned at least, we need look no further.”

Flitwick Manor

The tranquility and sheer elegance of Flitwick Manor belie its convenient location, just a few miles from the busy M1 motorway near Woburn in Hertfordshire. This is a classic Georgian country house set in rolling gardens and wooded parkland. The locality dates back to Saxon times when it was called ‘Fleotwic’ – literally, ‘dwelling on the river’.  The house was, at one time, owned by King Charles 1 and used as a hunting lodge. A priest’s hole with its secret tunnel to the churchyard, is a testament to the turbulence of the Civil War. The hotel’s rich history and period architecture contrast well with all the comforts of a modern hostelry, epitomised by a helipad within the grounds.

Flitwick Manor first became a hotel just post World War II, joining the Menzies collection in 1996. In 2003 it was awarded a place on the AA’s list of top 200 hotels in the country. The 18 individually designed guestrooms are named after prominent historical characters (Charles I among them, naturally!) and furnished with fine antiques and period pieces. The hotel’s feature room even offers its own sauna and a ‘kissing’ bath.

A highlight of your stay here is sure to be dinner in the hotel’s AA rosette à la carte restaurant. Head chef, Oliver Jackson, combines the best of British and continental cuisine with care, understanding and skill, creating a monthly changing menu with the emphasis on British ingredients, locally sourced.  The provenance of all the fresh ingredients is a matter of record. He can tell you the farm your pork came from and herbs are sourced from Blythburgh in Suffolk or, indeed, from the hotel’s own herb garden.

Café du Monde’s ‘Service en Chambre’ bedroom refreshment service is used in all the guest rooms. It offers fresh cafetière coffee, speciality and herbal tea bags, coupled with a range of soluble products such as instant coffee and hot chocolate, all is elegantly presented in a rich, leather flip-top box, embossed with gold lettering. Included with the system is a polished stainless steel kettle, two branded porcelain mugs and a selection of ancillaries. Service en Chambre is just one in a range of coffee systems supplied by Café du Monde that also includes espresso, bean-to-cup and filter coffee methods.
General Manager, Shaun Batty, describes Service en Chambre as a breakthrough in bedroom beverage service: “It offers guests the choice of ground or soluble coffee and the quality of the presentation perfectly complements the style and décor of our individually furnished rooms. Add to that the regularity of delivery and friendliness of their personnel and I’d say that Café du Monde offer a faultless service.”

Bibury Court

This is a majestic Jacobean mansion, picturesquely situated next to the old church in the ‘chocolate box’ Cotswold village of Bibury, once described as ‘the most beautiful village in England’ by eminent Victorian artist and writer, William Morris. Bibury Court was built in 1633 by Sir Thomas Sackville, a ‘knight and gentleman usher in dailie waiting to the king’ — James I, that is!

Nowadays, Bibury Court is a superbly appointed, privately owned hotel set in six acres of delicious Cotswold countryside. Could any place be more English, with its oak-panelled drawing room, log fires, four poster beds, serious antiques, mullioned windows and oil paintings by the score? The setting is pristine, with virginia creeper climbing the walls, clipped yew hedges, a rose arbour with lavender beds and the peaceful tinkling of the river Coln as it passes through the grounds. As a guest here you could throw a line in and pit your wits against the trout or simply meander alongside the river as it makes its way into the heart of the Cotswolds. What makes Bibury Court a real home from home, however, are the unobtrusively attentive and friendly staff.

The Bibury Court Restaurant is an award winner – two AA rosettes, Cotswold Life’s Restaurant of the Year 2007 and the current holder of ’Taste of the West’ Gold award. Restaurant Manager, Christina Lindstadt, Head Chef, Antony Ely and their respective staff are responsible for food and drink in the restaurant itself and guests may also eat in the conservatory, drawing room or, weather permitting, on the recently extended terrace. Antony, who learned his trade in top restaurants in London and Dublin injects his award-winning flair into devising inspired menus. He is passionate about the use of fresh local produce and his dishes reflect a plethora of regional specialities and produce in season. His talents also include that most traditional of English treats, Afternoon Tea, served on the terrace in the summer or beside a roaring log fire in winter.

You can expect a fine cup of coffee to accompany your superb meal, as Bibury Court became a customer of Café du Monde just last year, after hearing of them through these columns. They particularly wished to introduce Fairtrade coffees to the hotel. Antony and Christina tasted several companies’ coffees along with General Manager, Philip Mason-Gordon. They unanimously selected Café du Monde who went on to install its stylish free on loan cafetière system and a Mon Ami 75 bean-to-cup espresso machine.

Says Antony, “They endeared themselves to us early on with the quality of their Fairtrade coffee, which beat the others we tasted hands down. Since then, their support service has sparkled with willing, helpful advice and spot-on deliveries regular as clockwork.”