When I was first asked to blog about what I do at
Rockliffe Hall I was a little bit nervous. What was the Assistant Maitre D'hôtel going to write about? I asked around and some people suggested I write about the Orangery. This is our 3AA rosette rated fine dining restaurant led by celebrated Kenny Atkinson. I thought what a good place to start. After all this is where I started my career at Rockliffe Hall what seems like an age ago in 2009.
Starting out as a chef de rang we went through all manner of conversations, where does the salt and pepper go on the table? Should we have flowers on the table? Do we really have to iron all the cloths every day (the answer to that one was a definite yes)! Then we had to decide on how we were going to operate. As the lowest ranking member of staff at the time I found myself very quickly surrounded by plates of all different shapes and sizes and cutlery to polish until it looks brand new.
In 2010, The Orangery achieved a 3 AA rosette rating. Testament to some good old fashioned hard graft. This has given us a platform to build up to our ultimate goal of achieving a Michelin star. Open Tuesday through to Saturday we offer some of the finest food and service available in the area in a casual but formal environment. Experience our three great tasting menus with a selection of sommelier paired wines and you will have a fantastic experience at the Orangery here at Rockliffe Hall.
Another thing that was suggested to me was to tell you all about my little guilty pleasure. CHEESE.
Thanks to a peculiar twist of events in early 2010 I became the hotels 'cheese man'. I don't know how I think I was tricked. This has however led to some interesting events. In 2011 I was invited to the Brittish cheese awards in Churchill near Chipping Norton where I met Juliette Harbutt the authority on all things cheesy. I tasted nearly all of the 904 cheeses that were entered from the Brittish isles bringing back some of my favourites for our very own award winning cheeseboard.
This in turn led me to be invited by one of our guests to become a judge at the world cheese awards. This was held at Birmingham's NEC arena in conjunction with the BBC's winter good food show. Over 2,500 cheeses from around the globe were entered. Thankfully only 65 were on my table to judge! Experiences like this enable me hold mini cheese appreciation sessions. Keep an eye out for events like these this year…I will keep you up-dated in my blog!
So until next time, I am off to enjoy some beautiful fresh scones and tea in our old hall lounges. Well after all don't we all deserve a little treat now and again?
If you see me around the hotel when you come to visit, whether it is to fine dine in The Orangery, enjoy afternoon tea in our spectacular Old Hall Lounges, or to enjoy any other of Rockliffe Hall's fantastic offerings, please say Hi!
Take a look at the great events going on at Rockliffe Hall here. To find out more, you can also make an online enquiry or call 01325 729999.