insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 06 - August 2015 | Page 10
NEWS
GEORGE BLOGG CELEBRATES ONE YEAR AT THE
HELM OF GRAVETYE MANOR
One year on from his appointment and
not only has Gravetye’s head chef George
Blogg enchanted and delighted guests and
critics who dine at Gravetye, but accolades for
the hotel and restaurant have flowed too.
In just 12 months George has transformed
the menu and put Gravetye firmly on the
gastronomic map. Since his arrival, in addition
to being the AA’s Hotel of the Year 20132014, Gravetye was awarded the Best
Rural Hotel by Food & Travel and the Best
Countryside Hotel by Conde Nast Johansens
for 2014.
Just last month Gravetye scooped the
prestigious Catey Award 2015 for Hotel of
the Year – Independent, whilst in January the
restaurant was awarded 3 AA Rosettes and
received praise in the Waitrose Good Food
Guide. George also won the Editor’s Award
for the Chef to Watch for 2014. Impressively,
Gravetye Manor is also the second longeststanding restaurant in the Good Food Guide,
beaten only by The Connaught in Mayfair.
George’s consummate seasonal
cooking expertise is acquired from a career
that includes previous stints at double Michelinstarred restaurants The Square in Mayfair under
Philip Howard and Le Champignon Sauvage in
Cheltenham under David Everitt-Matthias. His
impressive experience also includes stages at
Notting Hill’s The Ledbury, Raymond Blanc’s Le
Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire and
René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen.
Now firmly at the helm of Gravetye
Manor George refines his classical roots with a
modern twist to deliver a lighter, more natural
menu underpinned by flavour and texture and
reflective of the breathtaking surroundings at
Gravetye.
Gravetye Manor’s impressive walled
Victorian kitchen garden and mature orchards
inspire much of the cuisine at the hotel. The
surrounding 1000 acre Gravetye Estate of
lush fields, forest and meadows, provides the
indigenous foraged produce of which George is
passionate about cooking with.
Managing Director Andrew Thomason
said “We are delighted and proud that our
guests can indulge in the most exquisite
cuisine, featuring the freshest produce from
our grounds, all expertly prepared by a chef of
George’s calibre. He brings a new dimension to
dining at Gravetye.”
SMALL SUSSEX INDIE MICRO, LANGHAM BREWERY – ONE OF
THE FIRST BREWERIES TO OBTAIN NATIONAL CASK MARQUE
AND SALSA PLUS BEER APPROVAL
Cask Marque, together with SALSA and
SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers),
recently launched a brewery accreditation
scheme for regional and local breweries,
and Langham Brewery is one of only four
in the country chosen to be involved. The
scheme has taken two years to develop,
and also calls on the expertise of Mitchells
& Butlers to represent the on-trade of the
scheme’s steering group, and Waitrose
who represent the off-trade.
The accreditation scheme (to be
known as the SALSA Plus Beer Scheme)
is part of Cask Marque’s ‘Grain to Glass’
initiative to improve quality covering
“breweries, supply chain management,
cellars and of course, beer in the glass.”
It demonstrates to buyers that the
breweries they use are committed to
quality, consistency and legality in the
production of their brews.
Lesley, co-owner of the brewery with
James Berrow, commented: “When we
were offered the chance to pilot the new
SALSA Plus Beer module we jumped at
it. It enhances the core SALSA standard
and benefits, by ensuring all aspects of
the brewing process comply with best
practice and can be proved to do so,
not only at a moment in time but as a
continuous programme of assessment and
improvement.”
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