CUMBERWELL PARK & GOLF CLUB
Cumberwell Park is a venue that hosts , business breakfasts , special events , meetings , conferences and weddings .
CELEBRATING BUSINESS IN BRADFORD ON AVON
It ’ s also home to Wiltshire ’ s only 45 hole golf course , with 1,500 members . It took home two awards on the night , best venue hire and best health & well-being . We interviewed Lucy James to find out more about their offering .
How long has Cumberwell Park been open and how many events do you hold each year ?
We ’ ve been open as a venue since 1995 . We hold numerous events , over 1,000 per year – comprising golf days / coaching / societies , conferences , Christmas parties and proms .
How did it feel to win twice on the night ? Fantastic that so many people voted for us in two categories to enable us to win the two awards .
What ’ s been the most exciting event held at Cumberwell in 2017 ? We held a Europro Golf event with a Par 3 shoot out – there was a £ 100,000 prize for a hole in one which wasn ’ t achieved , but the TV presenter John Morgan then managed a hole in one !
What ’ s the strangest request you ’ ve had from an event organiser ?
A customer told their guests an event was a fancy dress engagement party , but it was , in fact , a wedding ceremony where the best dressed in fancy dress were the witnesses !
Cumberwell Park is a family run business . What ’ s the best thing and worst thing about working with family ?
The best thing is we are able to pull together using a variety of skills to grow and develop the business . The worst thing is sometimes you have to have frank discussions as colleagues !
What ’ s new for Cumberwell in 2018 ? The construction of the next Par 3 course is underway , to complement our existing Par 3 course which opened in August 2016 .
For more info : www . cumberwellpark . com
@ CumberwellPark
KETTLESMITH BREWING
Kettlesmith Brewing Company is a small , independent craft micro-brewery .
They won in the best food and drink producer category . Owner Antony Field tells us about his business .
What got you into brewing ? Originally , it was to have cheap beer as a student . I did my time making beer from kits bought from Boots in the early 90s . After that I moved onto ‘ all grain ’ brewing which follows the same process as a commercial brewery , but on a small scale . In 2002 I moved to California and brewed a lot on a ‘ pilot brewery ’ which larger breweries use to test out new recipes . It was during this time that I started developing recipes , some of which have evolved into our current beers . I was working towards opening my brewery in San Francisco , but ended up moving back to the UK and setting up here in Bradford on Avon . I brought my pilot brewery back with me and now we use it to trial some of our new recipes .
How many stockists do you currently have ?
For cask and keg we have to play the ‘ guest ale ’ game at pubs , so the places we have our beer for sale can change week to week . Bottle sales are more stable and we are seeing a lot of growth there . We ’ ve sold to approximately 200 different customers so far .
Do you just sell locally ? Our main markets are between Bradford on Avon , Bath and Bristol but we are constantly looking for new areas to move into , we hope to begin selling into London over the next month . We sometimes team up with other breweries to do ‘ beer swaps ’ which gets our beer into other areas of the country . We also sell direct to customers at our open days which we currently run once a month at the brewery . These are great as it allows us to connect directly with our local supporters and let them learn more about us and the beers .
What do you think makes Kettlesmith unique ?
I think it ’ s a combination of our history and our approach to brewing . Each one of us brings different experiences of beer and brewing from where we ’ ve worked and lived before . We all have a great interest in beer styles and history which influences our brewing and how we see beer in a wider culinary context . We try to bring some of this knowledge and interest to our customers both in our packaging ( our labels have detailed flavour profiles and food pairing suggestions ), as well as in person when we meet people at events and brewery open days .
How many different varieties are there ?
Too many ! I should have been stricter with myself when we started up and kept to a smaller core range but there are so many beer styles I love , and over the previous decade I ’ d developed a range of recipes I wanted to brew . It ’ s not set in stone , but I ’ d say we have four or five beers that are year round and another four or so that are repeating seasonal brands . On top of that , we ’ ve just started a ‘ white label ’ series that will be smaller batches , more experimental beers to allow us to keep offering new styles .
What ’ s the trickiest thing to get right in the brewing process ?
Consistency and yeast management , which are tightly connected . Yeast is often overlooked in favour of malt or hops , but it
plays a critical role in the flavour of the beer . Keeping our yeast healthy and happy is a primary goal and can be a real challenge at a brewery of our scale . Consistency is important to build up a following of our brands , any changes in our recipes are small tweaks to fine tune qualities in the beer .
How did it feel to win the award ?
Really great ! It ’ s our second year winning the Food and Drink Producer category so we were thrilled to retain the title . I ’ m really grateful to everyone who has supported us over our first 18 months and who voted for us this year .
For more info : www . kettlesmithbrewing . com
@ kettlesmithbeer
Who makes your events memorable ?
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