Rockliffe Hall’s restaurant to be refurbished

North east hotel Rockliffe Hall is undergoing extensive refurbishment work as the hotel continues to grow.

The 5-star hotel’s County Durham Old Hall, dating back to the 19th century, is set to undergo a £200,000 renovation project throughout January, which will see its capacity at its restaurant – Kenny Atkinson at the Orangery – increase and a number of new jobs created.

The project includes a complete refurbishment of the triple AA Rosette Orangery with new artwork, décor, furniture and lighting; the creation of a state-of-the-art walk-in wine cellar and a restructure and extension of Kenny Atkinson’s kitchens to increase production capabilities throughout the day.

Director of food Kenny Atkinson said: “The greater kitchen space means we can train more chefs in traditional skills such as butchery and also give guests the chance to meet our team.

“People are so much more interested in the theatre behind food these days and we want to be able to give them the chance to see behind-the-scenes at special events where we can reveal the faces behind the food and wine.”

The renovation will further enhance the hotel’s reputation as the best in the north east, according to managing director Nick Holmes, who added: “This is a substantial investment, which is creating new options for our guests, new jobs for people in the region and new opportunities for us as a consistently growing business.

“This whole project is all about bringing Rockliffe Hall’s 19th Century Old Hall to life, all day every day. It’s the hub of the resort and we want all of our visitors to experience it, whether it’s for morning coffee, lunch in the Orangery, afternoon tea, drinks in our cocktail bar or dinner in the evening.”