Chester Grosvenor and Spa

Over the last 12 months bookings for afternoon tea at the landmark hotel have increased dramatically with sales of gift vouchers up by 33%.
All five afternoon tea sittings on a Saturday are usually fully booked several weeks in advance.
Particularly popular is the ‘Afternoon Tea for Gentlemen’, with its crusty doorstep sandwiches and chunky chips, which is tempting more men into sharing the afternoon tea experience with their mothers, wives and girlfriends.
Diners take their afternoon tea in The Arkle Bar and Lounge but to keep up with demand The Chester Grosvenor’s new dining space – The Gallery – is also being used.
Mark Bevan, food and beverage manager, said “Afternoon tea at The Chester Grosvenor is a time-honoured tradition which has always drawn a loyal following - and it’s never been more popular.
“One of the things that’s changed over the last few years is the average age of the diner who orders afternoon tea.
“Most Saturdays we’re serving afternoon tea to people in their 30s who are discovering the joy of afternoon tea, perhaps for the first time.
“Having afternoon tea at The Chester Grosvenor is still something people love doing to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or baby shower. It’s a lovely occasion for young and old, mums and daughters or as a romantic dining experience for two.
“The increase in gift voucher sales is down to the fact that afternoon tea at The Chester Grosvenor makes a wonderful present because you’re giving a loved one the chance to experience the afternoon tea ritual which is something unique.”
The Chester Grosvenor afternoon tea experience – which starts from £25 per person - includes finger sandwiches, home made fruit and plain scones, French fancies made by pastry chef Luke Frost and 10 different kinds of tea served in silver tea pots.

The 200,000 cups of tea and coffee served in La Brasserie every year will now be served in sleek stainless steel designer tea and coffee pots, milk jugs and sugar bowls from Nick’s Sphere and Domus collections.
The new teapots are proving popular with tea aficionados because the 10 different loose teas that the hotel buys from another Cheshire-based company ‘Tea from the Manor’ can now be served using the teapot’s in-built tea strainer.
The Chester Grosvenor were introduced to Nick by a regular hotel guest who was so impressed by his work that she recommended it to hotel manager Ross Grieve and food and beverage manager Mark Bevan.
The pair paid a visit to Nick’s Chester shop incognito to see his innovative designs - on products from watches to egg cups - for themselves.
They were so impressed they commissioned Nick to produce new tea and coffee sets to celebrate the reopening of La Brasserie as part of a multi-million refurbishment.
Mr Grieve said: “Nick’s designs are elegant and timeless and that’s why they fit so beautifully with The Chester Grosvenor.
“The new tea and coffee pots look brilliant in the restaurant and we’ve already had diners asking about the beautiful new teapots that their favourite tea is served in.
“It’s great to be able to champion great British design like this and the added benefit is that Nick is a Chester-based business so we’re supporting another local business.
“The Chester Grosvenor is a proud Chester business and so is Nick Munro so the collaboration is a natural one.”
Nick’s products are sold worldwide and his customers include the Gleneagles hotel, P&O Cruises, John Lewis across the UK and Bloomingdales New York.
Nick said: “Chester has been very good to me and I am very proud to have opened my first shop here with customers and tourists dropping in from all over the world.
“I often visit The Chester Grosvenor for coffee and I am thrilled to see my teapots and coffee pots being so elegantly deployed in the new La Brasserie – you will probably find me in there even more often in future!”

Simon has overseen the installation of a new kitchen to match that of the Westminster Suite kitchen on the second floor of the hotel and includes energy-efficient induction hobs and grills, constant temperature control and incorporates the latest kitchen technology.
But pride of place is the new Josper, from Spain, which will produce mouthwatering steaks at temperatures of up to 300° C using sustainable coppice wood.
The oven and grill is the only one of its kind in Chester and is expected to draw steak lovers from across the city and beyond.
Simon Radley said: “We thought the new La Brasserie deserved a new menu so that’s what we’ve done. The La Brasserie team sat down and drew up a wish list of what we’d like to see on offer to diners and a Josper was almost top of that list.
"Many of the top London restaurants have a Josper and the chefs swear by them so when I went to the capital and tried it for myself I had very high expectations.
“The Josper didn’t disappoint. Everything it cooks ends up melt-in-the-mouth, succulent and irresistible. I have no doubt this will be a new favourite for our diners and I can’t wait to introduce them to it.”
The new La Brasserie menu also features treats for chocolate lovers with a special Rococo ‘chocolatte’, made with Rococo cocoa and hot milk, and a ‘chocolate shot’ made with 70% dark chocolate cocoa and water to create the chocolate equivalent of an espresso.

For the twentieth consecutive year, the Michelin Guide has awarded a much coveted star to the fine dining restaurant at The Chester Grosvenor and Spa.

Whilst this spectacular achievement is testament to the consistently high standards of service and cuisine and the hard work put in by all involved, what has really put a smile on the faces of the restaurant and kitchen brigades is the rising star status that the restaurant has been given.

Executive Chef Simon Radley confirms 'For the restaurant to be tipped as a 'rising two star' is obviously a large boost to the whole team. We have been quietly plugging away, doing our thing and I think it gives us added direction.  He goes on to say “There is an air of excitement in the hotel but essentially it will be business as usual and a great deal of hard work ahead to ensure that standards are upheld and where possible exceeded.”

The Michelin Guide states that “These rising star restaurants are the best in their category and could move up to the next category once they have demonstrated greater consistency over time and across the entire menu, they are the gourmet dining ‘stars’ of tomorrow.” Derek Bulmer, Editor of the Michelin Guides, explains “Within the one star category there is quite a lot of variation, from those that have just received one to those that sit solidly in the middle and those that are pushing towards the two-star mark. The rising stars show readers who’s at the top end of each category. It gives them a bit more information”.

Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor is now one of only four restaurants in the UK to have been awarded one or more Michelin stars for the past twenty years and the only restaurant to have been awarded ‘rising two stars’ status in 2010.

For reservations at the restaurant, call: 01244 324024
Or email: restaurants@chestergrosvenor.com

www.chestergrosvenor.com