Bovey Castle unveils new ‘super kitchen’ as part of £1.2m restaurant refurb

Bovey Castle in Dartmoor National Park in Devon has unveiled a new ‘super kitchen’ as part of a £1.2m restaurant relaunch.

The five star hotel is welcoming guests back to its restaurant for the first time in three years as it relaunches The Great Western Grill.

Led by executive chef Mark Budd, the new restaurant is inspired by British “comfort food” and “forgotten classics”, using locally-sourced ingredients.

The Eden Hotel Collection, which owns the hotel, has invested in a bespoke, custom-built kitchen as part of the relaunch “to improve efficiency, capacity and quality of service”.

The venue worked with catering equipment distributor Sprint Group to design an all-electric kitchen with highlights including a bespoke, full-induction Charvet cooking suite with multi-pan zones, steel planchas, ovens, fryers and chargrills, alongside Rational combi and iVario ovens.

The kitchen’s layout has been remodelled with new designated areas including a defined raw preparation area, pastry kitchen, ready-to-eat kitchen, service kitchen, and a nine-metre-long open pass with adjustable lighting, helping to create a “spacious” working environment for the kitchen and waiting staff.

The kitchen will cater for the 100-cover Great Western Grill, 150-cover breakfast, afternoon tea, and Sunday lunch, as well as room service, lodge service, and conferences and private functions.

Works to the kitchen were carried out over a three-month period between March and June, with the restaurant now open to the public.

The Great Western Grill provides a new menu which features traditional favourites, meats and grills, steaks, house specials, and fish and shellfish, as well as vegan and vegetarian options.

Alongside its 3AA Rosette restaurant Great Western Grill and 1AA Rosette Smith’s Brasserie, Bovey Castle offers 60 bedrooms throughout the historic manor and 22 self-catering country lodges, as well as on-site activities and the Elan Spa

Budd said: “We wanted to create a better flow throughout the kitchen to make the service more manageable, place people in the right areas, and provide a natural flow right from the goods coming in to cooking and plating.

“The kit we have brought in is first-class and the Charvet suite in particular is a dream stove which is sleek, modern and energy efficient – something which has been at the forefront when shaping this new design. Combined, the kitchen investment will help us to deliver the best culinary experience for guests, whilst providing our hugely talented team with the space and equipment to develop their talents and skills.”