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.”

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”.

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.”

Newick Park

Fluffy white towels, comfy sofas, log fires and fine food – just some of the ingredients that go to make a country House stay a pleasurable experience. They are all here at Newick Park and more besides.

Newick Park is set amidst the green and pleasant countryside of East Sussex near Lewes. It is a grade II listed country house surrounded by 255 acres of its own listed parkland overlooking the South Downs. Part of the present building dates back to the 16th century when it was an Ironmaster’s home. The extensive Dell gardens at the rear of the property were his original excavations, but now in spring it is a riot of colour with snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells being followed by azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. Later owners included the Chief Justice of Bengal, who is said to have buried treasure from India in the grounds.

The house was in a poor state of repair when it was purchased by the present owners, Michael and Virginia Childs, in 1990. Taking advice from English Heritage, they have turned the building into a very fine example of an English Country House. Being privately owned, however, it retains the feel of a family home, but now with 16 en-suite bedrooms and a renowned restaurant.

Head chef, Chris Moore’s hard work in the four years he has been here has been richly rewarded with a third AA rosette awarded this year, placing Newick Park firmly in the top 10% nationally and the only restaurant in East Sussex to hold this accolade. His cuisine is modern European in style with the emphasis on the use of seasonal and local produce. Much of his vegetables are grown and harvested from the organically run walled garden, with game coming from the estate itself. If there is one dish that sums up Chris’ talents it would be his “Newick Park pheasant with pommery mustard croquette, garlic creamed cabbage and confit root vegetables” which appears regularly on the menu between November and February.

Hotel Manager, Adrian Clifton, recalls his first encounter with his coffee supplier, Café du Monde: “We first met them at the Johansen’s award dinner in 2007 and immediately knew their ‘Service en Chambre’ was the answer to our bedroom beverage service.” The elegant leather-bound box contains a cafetière, two mugs and all the ingredients for guests to make tea and coffee in the privacy of their own room. Since that first contact, the Company now supplies all Newick Park’s coffee requirements including cafetière service and espresso-based speciality coffee.

Adrian sums up his satisfaction with his supplier: “We were first attracted to Service en Chambre, but their strength lies in having a tailored solution to individual coffee service problems. What sets them apart is they overlay that with quality products and a very high level of personal service and training.”

Tre-Ysgawen Hall

If you are looking for a place to opt out of the rat race for a while, then Tre-Ysgawen Hall, a Country House Hotel and Spa at Capel Coch, close to Llangefni on the Isle of Anglesey, ticks all the boxes. Built originally in 1882 as a grand country retreat this magnificent stone house, often described as ‘the hidden gem of Anglesey’ is set in 11 acres of secluded landscaped gardens, meadow and woodland just a short drive inland from the breathtaking east coast of the island. It ranks as one of the finest Country House Hotels in Wales and is now owned by a Trust, with a large proportion of its profits going to support children’s charities.

In recent years, the hotel has undergone an ambitious and sympathetic refurbishment and extension programme and can now offer de luxe, superior, Four Poster bedrooms and 2 Four Poster Suites with whirlpool spa baths.  2002 saw the opening of a luxurious new Spa comprising a 16m level-deck Swimming Pool, Sauna, Steam Room, air-conditioned 30 station Gymnasium and Beauty/Therapy Suite with 6 Treatment rooms.

Tre-Ysgawen Hall is recognised by travel organisations throughout the world and the most respected Hotel Guides in the land for the quality of its hospitality and cuisine.  It is a ‘Welsh Rarebit’ and Johansen’s hotel and only the second hotel in Wales to achieve the Hospitality Assured accreditation.

The hotel was a recent winner of the prestigious Cheshire Life Food and Wine award for North Wales. Head Chef, Stephen Duffy, creates stimulating and constantly changing menus describing his creations as modern European with Asian influences. 90% of the ingredients are sourced on Anglesey, some indeed travelling from no further than the kitchen garden. More casual dining is available in the Clock Tower Café Wine Bar, serving a Brasserie style menu plus patisseries and beverages.

The same care that is lavished on the cuisine is clearly evident in the choice of coffee service. It is now almost two years since Operations Manager Richard Hughes selected Café du Monde to install its unique “Service en Chambre” in-room beverage service in all 29 rooms. This is an elegant leather-bound box containing a cafetière, two mugs and all the ingredients for guests to make tea and coffee in the privacy of their own room. For lounge and restaurant service he uses the Company’s free on loan cafetière system with elegant stainless steel cafetières serving Café du Monde’s Kenyan, Decaffeinated and Continental coffees.

“We were first attracted to Café du Monde by Service en Chambre, which in our experience is quite unique in the market.” says Richard. “The system perfectly complements the style and décor of our guest rooms. We quickly learnt that the standard of their support service was a match for their high quality products. I would commend them unreservedly.”

Les Bouviers

To say that Les Bouviers is a restaurant with rooms is like saying Shakespeare was a bit of a poet. This is a first class restaurant with six of the most luxurious, individually designed bedrooms and its quality is recognised with five AA stars and two rosettes. It reflects the vision and hard work of husband and wife team James and Kate Coward. Their surname is a corruption of the term “cow herdsman” which, translated into the French, gave rise to the restaurant’s unusual name. Opened just over a year, this is the second venture to carry that name, with the first having been established in a location not a mile away for over 16 years.

Set in 5½ acres of green belt land with giant willow tree and a wooden footbridge inviting you over a picturesque lake, Les Bouviers is at Canford Magna in the heart of rural East Dorset, not a stone’s throw from the Medieval town of Wimborne Minster, with Poole harbour only 15 minutes distant. James and Kate’s inspiration for their theming was fine art. The rooms, including the bedrooms, are resplendent with paintings, each named after a famous artist – Krasnyansky and Le Kinff being two of the bedrooms with the main restaurant named after Charles Lee.

The short move to these new premises meant that Les Bouviers was able to keep its local clientele but, today, its reputation has spread throughout the land and even further afield with guests from Europe and America. The kitchen is James’s domain. Having worked in France for two spells that included experience in two 2-Michelin starred restaurants and five one-starred restaurants, it is hardly surprising that his cuisine is French influenced, but as he puts it “with a hint of Mediterranean”. He keeps an eclectic 400-bin wine cellar, sourcing interesting and unusual wines with choices ranging from £10.50 a bottle to a Dom Perignon 1993 vintage Jeraboam at £5,400!  His 7-course “menu surprise” with wine at £65 is a real treat, but he cites as his personal favourites “Double baked cheese soufflé with horseradish and watercress sauce”, followed by “Medallions of highland venison with juniper berry and blackcurrant sauce”.  Tangy lemon tart and brûlées are always on the menu.

The opening at the new premises prompted a change of coffee service, with Café du Monde now supplying not only the coffee, but also tea and hot chocolate, too. The restaurant uses a free on loan cafetière system, whilst for two function rooms, coffee is brewed into thermal jugs. Kate and James are just about to install Café du Monde’s innovative bedroom beverage service, ‘Service en Chambre’.

After a year, Kate assesses her experience thus: “We are delighted with the quality of our coffee and receive so many compliments from our guests, we simply daren’t change now! From the friendliness of  Caroline, our contact, to their efficient service back-up, we just cannot fault them”