Sudbury House Hotel in Faringdon, Oxfordshire has today announced it has updated its two restaurant offerings under the guidance of MasterChef Finalist Nick Bennett.
Magnolia, which serves modern British food with classical roots, has launched a new menu based on fresh ingredients with a strong focus on traceability and provenance.
The informal restaurant with potential to seat 100 guests includes an extensive terrace area for al fresco dinning and service will include breakfast, lunch and dinner. All day dining will be available throughout the hotel.
The new selection of dishes at Magnolia include a Cornish crab & fennel cocktail, Caraway crackers, with mango salsa; Kelmscott pork fillet, braised coco beans, chorizo and parsley; and a passion fruit and coconut ‘Neat Eton’.
Bennett (pictured left) has developed classic dishes with a modern adaptation. For example, a Caesar salad to garnish a Roast Cotswold Chicken Terrine, which encases all the flavours of a thyme & garlic butter roasted chicken, will consist of a cos lettuce, infused with rapeseed oil and garlic – dressed with Parmesan, Caesar mayonnaise and sourdough croutons.
Magnolia also offers hand rolled Pizzas using the finest Caputo ‘00’ flour. Cooked in a wood-fired Gosney oven in the open kitchen, the pizzas will be topped with locally sourced meats, cheeses and vegetables.
The team at Magnolia will work with producers and suppliers from the local and surrounding areas to offer guests the best of local produce.
Restaurant 56, the second dining experience at Sudbury House Hotel, will offer guests the opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea in the original adjoining Regency house and, during the year, will host special wine and food tasting events. It will also be available for weddings and other special occasions.
Both restaurants will be overseen by Bennett, who has worked in some of the country’s most dynamic kitchens – including Mallory Court and The Curlew. Bennett is also well-known for his appearances on ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ in 2015 where he made the final.
He said, “I’m really excited to be able to offer guests food which they all know and love, with a bit of a difference. For me, a dining experience is all about making sure guests are comfortable and relaxed.
“We want them to know that they can come into the restaurant, enjoy some great food, and treat the place like their own home. That’s why we’ve developed a menu which lets people choose exactly how they want to eat. It’s important that we provide people with options which match their needs. Ultimately, we want the provide food which is accessible to as many people as possible.”
Ronan Hunter, general manager, (pictured right), added, “As a progressive business, we don’t believe in standing still, so we wanted to develop a food offering which reflects modern restaurant trends. Many of our regulars will know that Nick is a very talented chef and we are thrilled about the exciting additions to the menu, and the flexibility it will present to our guests.”
