Wahaca - Executive Coach
Wahaca - Executive Coaching for Executive Team.
““Over 5 months of coaching with Polly, I can’t quite believe the impact and difference it has had in this short space of time. Her supportive and empowering approach has truly transformed my professional journey, making me a more confident and capable leader.
Her insightful guidance has equipped me with essential skills to face challenges head-on and get out of my comfort zone to stretch me through a period of growth. I would recommend to anyone seeking out a coach, particularly if you have imposter syndrome or going in to your first leadership role.”
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Help to Grow - business leadership programme - Coach
Coach and Facilitator on Help to Grow programme for SMEs, led by the School of Business at the University of Leicester.
Help to Grow Leadership Programme
I'm proud to be working as a coach and facilitator with the School of Business at the University of Leicester on the Help to Grow leadership programme for small and medium-sized businesses in the East Midlands and East of England. It’s an opportunity for senior managers and business owners to learn new skills, reach more customers and boost profits.
Accredited by the Small Business Charter, Help To Grow is a 12-week practical programme that combines both online and face-to-face learning. The programme covers key areas of leadership including:
“Polly Robinson continues to be a massive asset to the University of Leicester School of Business and has undertaken important roles in the work that we have delivered to support small businesses in the UK. This includes the government-funded Small Business Leadership Programme (delivered in 2020/21) where she was the business coach and the Help to Grow Management Programme (currently being delivered) where she is the cohort facilitator and occasional module lead.
Polly always receives fantastic feedback for the guidance and advice she provides and she is reliable, efficient and always willing to adapt to support our needs. Polly continues to assist us with her marketing insight/knowledge and always goes above and beyond to ensure the programmes are a success.
It is a pleasure to work with Polly and I look forward to continuing to work with her on both current and future programmes. She will bring her abundance of talent and ability to anything she takes on.”
Strategy and innovation
Growing national and international markets
Leading for high performance
Building vision and brand
Engaging and inspiring teams
Creating customer value
Adopting digital technology
Adopting responsible business practices
Financial management
I work with participants guiding them through the programme, coaching them on practical business and leadership challenges and leading weekly peer-to-peer coaching sessions. Through the programme, I have worked with businesses in all sectors from legal and professional services, manufacturing, IT and food and drink.
For more information about the Help to Grow programme visit the University of Leicester website or the Small Business Charter Help to Grow information here:
The programme is 90% funded by the government.
Season & Taste - Restaurant Leadership Training
Leadership Development Programme and Management Training
Season & Taste is a group of restaurants in Bristol including Bravas, Gambas and Cargo Cantina.
I devised and delivered a leadership development workshop for a group of managers and the owners. We focussed particularly on developing a coaching style of management to get more out of employees. The workshop concluded with everyone building their own personal action plan to take their learnings from the workshops to apply to their day-to-day work.
Session 1: You Welcome & Intros
The difference between leadership & management
Understand your own management and leadership style
Coaching Style of Management Emotional Intelligence What is Culture
Session 2 Your team Employee Engagement
Creating happy, strong, engaged motivated teams
Community and why it matters
How to get the best out of people
Managing performance and giving feedback
Handling Tough Conversations
Personal Action Plan
Beckford Group - Hospitality Management Training
Leadership Development and Management Training
The Beckford Group is a group of Bath and South West-based hospitality businesses. I designed and delivered a series of leadership workshops for the General Managers. The General Managers are responsible for six restaurant, pub, hotels in Somerset, Bath and Wiltshire (Beckford Canteen, Beckford Bottle Shop, Beckford Arms, The Talbot Inn etc). They lead the front-of-house and kitchen teams.
Strengthen the leadership team
Boost productivity
Grow revenue and increase profitability
Strengthen the brand/ stand out in the market place
Improve employee engagement & wellbeing
Over two half-day face-to-face workshops we explored:
The difference between leadership & management
Understand your own management and leadership style
Emotional Intelligence
Building leadership confidence
Creating happy, strong, engaged motivated teams
How to get the best out of people How to boost retention
How to give effective feedback
Improving communication
Managing stress and building resilience
The teams engaged in some positive discussions about their experiences of managing a team, their leadership style and confidence.
Burnt Chef Project - Managing Stress & Building Resilience Workshops
Wellbeing and Resilience Workshops
The Burnt Chef Project is a globally recognised not-for-profit Social Enterprise, committed to making the hospitality profession healthier and more sustainable by focussing on people's wellbeing first.
Life in hospitality goes hand in hand with long, irregular hours, physically demanding work on your feet all day, fast-paced service where we’re expected to be happy and charming, even if we don’t feel like it. The data on stress and poor mental health is well-recorded.
I regularly run workshops for their members on managing stress and building personal resilience. These workshops are suitable for chefs, front-of-house teams and office staff, wanting to learn how to improve their own wellbeing and support hospitality teams.
The Context - Stress, Pressure and Mental Health concerns in Hospitality
What is wellness
Stress versus Pressure
Work / Life balance and Setting healthy habits
Perspective and Circles of Concern
Managing Overwhelm
Supporting others
Baker Hospitality - Leadership Training
Leadership Development and Management Training Programmes
Baker Hospitality is a growing independent hospitality group based in Essex. The Sun Inn, Dedham opened in 2003, followed by Church Street Tavern in Colchester and most recently, The White Hart Inn on Mersea Island in 2022.
I created a blended programme of in-person and online leadership development workshops for the groups managers and assistant managers. Some of the participants had been in the business for many years but have been promoted as it has grown, others were relatively new to the business. None had had any formal management training previously and a priority was for them to get to know each other and improve communication and learning across the group.
Over 6 sessions we explored:
Leadership Styles and approaches - what’s your leadership style. The difference between leadership & management
Learn when to direct, delegate, and coach with ease and to adapt your approach as needed
The emotionally intelligent manager
Adult-to-adult management – building autonomy
Situational leadership - adapting your style
Tools for successful delegation
The importance of culture - vision - purpose - values
Building trust and empowering people using coaching skills
Team engagement
How to get the best out of people
How to retain and develop people
Managing performance and giving feedback
How to handle difficult conversations
Managing stress and building resilience
improving work / life balance
Dealing with change and things outside your control
Learn how to have healthy boundaries and habits that build resilience in yourself and those around you.
Create an action plan that will allow you to live and work sustainably and avoid burnout.
Building your impact as a leader - planning for the future
Lead others with confidence.
Find out tools to boost your impact and presence.
Increase self-awareness
Create a self-development plan
Henley Business School - Coach
Executive Coach and Facilitator for Leaders on Executive Development Programmes
I work as a Learning Coach with Henley Business School, part of the University of Reading working with senior leaders to help them achieve the outcomes of the senior leadership apprenticeship programme.
I specialise in:
Strategy
Leadership
Innovation & Change
People Management.
Broadland Food Innovation Centre
The Broadland Food Innovation Centre is an ERDF-funded project which supports food & drink businesses in Suffolk and Norfolk to innovate, connect with academia and grow. They support food and drink businesses in Norfolk & Suffolk with the aim of increasing the rate at which we process food & drink in the region, creating economic impact through business growth and jobs. The project consists of three parts:
Innovation Support: One-to-One support and advisory services for food & drink businesses in Suffolk & Norfolk (fully funded)
Cluster: events and workshops (some face-to-face some online) to bring together businesses, academia and the public sector
Space: A specialist centre offering 13 food-grade units, alongside sensory and test kitchens and meeting spaces which are avail to hire.
The project involves contributions from Broadland District Council, the University of East Anglia, Hethel Innovation and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
We have been appointed as PR agency for the final six months of the project to:
Raise awareness and understanding of the project with Norfolk & Suffolk food businesses and community
Generate interest in participation with the project including facilities at the Centre, business support and events.
Generate publicity and awareness for the successful completion of the project in June.
Our work includes:
Media Planning - pitching stories to the national and local media
Media Relations
Creating convincing, relevant and inspiring content
Supporting Innovation Centre events through attendance and PR
For more information: Broadland Food Innovation Centre
The Silver Cup, Harpenden
The Silver Cup is a traditional British pub, restaurant and rooms serving high quality, contemporary dishes.
In 2020, The Silver Cup came under new management with an aim of maintaining the traditions of a classic British public house whilst bringing a contemporary twist to the food and drink offering.
Situated in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, The Silver Cup is the perfect spot for an afternoon drink, fabulous lunch or dinner. Upstairs there are 5 bedrooms.
Owned by two local lads, Matthew and Michael, with a shared love and experience of all things food, drink and hospitality.
The Silver Cup >
Fish & Forest, York
Fish&Forest is a forward-thinking sustainable fish and game restaurant, which sources the best ingredients and was recognised in the Michelin Guide within a few months of opening for its commitment to Sustainable Gastronomy.
Situated in the heart of York, on the top of Micklegate, Fish&Forest is an unpretentious sustainable fish and game bistro by Chef-Owner Stephen Andrews, supported by Yohan Barthelemy. The pair aim to bring the quality of fine-dining in the techniques we use to prepare and source the ingredients but are committed to maintaining a relaxed attitude on the restaurant floor, with a vibrant atmosphere and welcoming staff.
White Hart Inn, Mersea Island - new opening
The White Hart Inn, Mersea Island to reopen this spring after major refurbishment and under new management
Spring 2022 will see the relaunch of The White Hart Inn on Mersea Island as a pub with restaurant and rooms. It will be the third site operated by Piers Baker owner of the renowned local pub with rooms The Sun Inn, Dedham and bar & restaurant Church Street Tavern in Colchester.
The White Hart Inn, which has been closed since 2013, will benefit from a partial rebuild and major refurbishment to transform it into a tasteful, contemporary and eye-catching venue - somewhere for a casual pint, relaxed lunch or a special dinner with delicious, great value food. It will feel unique, tasteful and contemporary.
There will be light and welcoming bar and dining room with a vaulted ceiling and open kitchen, a cosy oak-panelled lounge with an open fire, plenty of outdoor seating in the terraced garden and six individually designed ensuite bedrooms, some with sea views.
Piers Baker says: “Mersea Island is a special place which deserves an independently owned pub with restaurant and rooms that welcomes locals as much as visitors. It has a great community many of whom are already friends and customers who have told us how much they look forward to us being there. I feel proud, grateful and excited to be opening in West Mersea and can’t wait to open our doors!”
The regularly changing menu will be a mix of casual bar food along with a restaurant menu using the best local ingredients. There will be roasts on Sunday and options for kids. On the bar, there’ll be real ale, craft lagers and cider, plenty of non-alcoholic options and a wine list similar to the award-winning lists at the sister venues.
Baker continues: “If someone told me back in March 2020 that I’d be opening a new, third venture in Spring 2022, I would never have believed them! The turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, with subsequent trials and tribulations of lockdowns, reopenings, restrictions and more lockdowns, made it impossible to look too far ahead. But when local businessman Lee Tyler, landlord of the White Hart Inn, approached me and was keen to work with Baker Hospitality on the basis of our reputation and local networks, I could immediately see the opportunity the site offered. The White Hart Inn has huge potential and ticks all the boxes we were looking for in a third site: a beautiful location close to the sea, a village feel on the high street opposite the church green, and a great island community.”
The exact opening date will be confirmed once work is underway but is expected around late May 2022.
White Hart Inn https://whitehartinnmersea.co.uk
About Baker Hospitality
Baker Hospitality has earned a reputation for warm and convivial inns and taverns with seriously delicious food and drinks. The Sun Inn, Dedham and Church Street Tavern, Colchester are seen as unique and consistently outstanding for every day as well as special occasions. They enjoy wide community support, have had continual national acclaim and awards.
The Sun Inn, Dedham opened in 2003, followed by Church Street Tavern, Colchester in 2014.
Godwick Hall
Travel PR for a collection of luxury self-catering accommodation and glamping in rural North Norfolk
Private and peaceful, rural and relaxing, luxurious and languid, not far from Holkham and the wide-open beaches of North Norfolk, Godwick Hall is a perfect place for a special celebration or event or just a relaxing retreat.
Set in 100 acres of quintessential English countryside in North Norfolk, Godwick Hall is a large country house available for large groups, there is a newly converted luxury self-catering property, The Old Stables, and three fabulous Shepherd Huts ideal for couples. There’s also a spectacular barn available for weddings and large parties.
For a romantic retreat for couples Godwick’s shepherd’s huts are close to nature - quirky, rustic and extremely comfortable. They have wood burners and radiators so are cosy retreats even in the colder months. The three huts come with some fabulous mod cons - a double bed and ensuite shower room, a small kitchen and microwave and even a two-person hammock! As well as a comfortable night’s sleep, guests can order a welcome breakfast hamper of Norfolk bread and cereal along with a host of other extras such as a bottle of Fizz chilling in your fridge, a barbeque, or marvel at the stars with a fire pit, basket of wood, blankets, marshmallows and skewers. Godwick’s owner, James Garner has trademarked it Schlamping for luxury glamping!
The Old Stables is a new self-catering home which offers a contemporary light Skandi style space with views across the tranquil parkland, sleeping up to six in the three ensuite bedrooms. All the rooms have luxury beds, the huge living room has a large sofa and a wood burner, while the well-equipped kitchen has doors opening onto the patio.
For larger groups and special occasions, Godwick Hall is a sumptuous Georgian country house that sleeps up to 14 people in seven beautiful bedrooms melding traditional features with modern touches. There’s a grand drawing room, a games room, a splendid dining room, a vast kitchen with an Aga, there’s even a heated swimming pool and a children’s play area.
Where is Godwick?
Godwick is a great base to explore north Norfolk with its wide-open beaches and renowned pubs and restaurants. 11 miles from Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham, it’s also within reach of the fine city of Norwich.
There are ample walks in the area as well as fantastic places to eat and drink nearby including the award-winning The Brisley Bell.
Catch at the Old Fish Market, Weymouth
Catch is an authentic sea-to-plate restaurant in Weymouth, Dorset which opened in June 2021.
Set amidst the colour and energy of Weymouth’s working quayside, Catch at the Old Fish Market offers an authentic sea-to-plate dining experience serving fish and shellfish with unequivocal local provenance and landed just a few feet from the restaurant kitchen.
Catch opened in June 2021 with upcoming chef Mike Naidoo leading the kitchen. Mike was formerly with Jason Atherton at Pollen Street Social and has moved to Dorset to take on his first Head Chef role with his partner Tija Klincov, who is the restaurant’s pastry chef.
Mike’s elegant, ingredient-led dishes celebrate the freshest sustainable seafood. Menus change regularly to reflect what the boats have brought in, and you may find scallop ceviche; lobster thermidor croquettes; roast brill roast salsify and Exmoor caviar; skate wing; pork belly seaweed and sage; sea bass with fennel almonds and crab potatoes.
With strong ties to the fishing community, not only can the staff tell you when and where your fish was caught, but usually on which boat, and by whom. The waters of the Dorset coast are home to over 40 fish and shellfish species, from Portland crab and lobster to line-caught sea bass and supplied to the restaurant by Weymouth’s small, inshore fishing fleet which include two boats owned by the business.
You’ll also find local game dishes for example: venison, parsnip, girolles, red cabbage and blackberries. Other ingredients are sourced from local growers and producers including with a micro bakery based a road away from the restaurant and Craigs Farm, a free-range dairy which overlooks Weymouth Bay.
Catch is also about its setting. The landmark Grade II listed Old Fish Market was built in 1855 using local Portland stone. The building has been painstakingly restored by local craftspeople. The striking restaurant has been carved out on the first floor with views over the harbour and light that floods in through the windows of the clerestory roof.
The team have curated an engaging wine list containing exceptional local wines from the Dorset area including Langham Wine Estate, Furleigh Estate and Bride Valley Vineyard amongst others. The list not only includes gems from local producers but exciting wines from smaller European wineries. Many are available by the glass to encourage diners to experiment throughout their meal. The list will change and evolve throughout the year to keep it as fresh and seasonal as the menu.
Weyfish
Catch is part of a group of businesses which include Weyfish, Weymouth’s traditional harbourside fishmonger, also based in the historic Old Fish Market (in fact, diners pass through the fishmongers on their way to the tables).The majority of their fish is sourced hyper-locally and sustainably with the majority of the town’s fleet using lines, nets, and pots only – producing very little in the way of by-catch or discards. Weyfish went on to spawn an e-commerce platform for national home deliveries, and has its own fish van that sells fresh fish in Dorchester twice weekly. Hatch on the Harbour is located in a downstairs corner of the Fish Market and serves fresh seafood-on-the-go. Specialising in street food dishes whose changing menu can include fish tacos, crispy grilled squid and BBQ lobster which can all to be enjoyed on the quayside.
About Mike Naidoo
The kitchen team at Catch are led by Chef Mike Naidoo who has moved to Dorset to take up his first Head Chef role at the restaurant. Formerly at Jason Atherton’s Michelin starred Pollen Street Social and a number of years career across number of other well-known restaurants Purefoy Arms at Preston Candover and The Chesil Rectory in Winchester. Mike grew up just across the border in the New Forest and after studying physiotherapy he was lured into kitchens of local restaurants and decided to follow a career in hospitality.
He says of Catch: “Here, the supply chain is right on our doorstep: the Weymouth fleet; the most amazing growers and micro-producers. People who really care about quality. Our menu shifts and changes throughout the calendar – just as it should do.”
Blushing Cook - floral brownies
Blushing Cook was founded by Sammi Gascoyne, combining her passion for baking, art and flowers to create truly unique brownies and biscuits decorated with edible flowers.
Blushing Cook was founded by Sammi Gascoyne, who has combined her passion for baking, art and all things floral to create truly unique brownies and biscuits decorated with edible flowers.
With a foundation in fine art and after studying Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, Sammi worked as a pastry chef in restaurants such as Michelin Star Le Gavroche and as Head Chef for renowned cake designer Peggy Porschen. When Sammi decided it was time for a new challenge she began baking in her little flat in South West London, Blushing Cook was born.
The discovery of edible flowers opened Sammi’s eyes to the beauty and simplicity of using something that was already growing around us. Why decorate a cake with a daisy made out of sugar, when you can have the real thing, and eat it too. The only problem is that flowers tend to wilt, and need preserving. Recalling fond memories of picking flowers from her Nan’s garden, and pressing them between old books, Sammi sandwiched some edible flowers between the pages of her large patisserie bible, and later used them to decorate a cake with a recreation of her favourite Liberty pattern; a wildflower meadow. This became Blushing Cook's first hit, their signature Pressed Flower Cake and Sammi's edible floral masterpieces have been setting trends in the food world ever since.
Since then, Blushing Cook has blossomed into a range of individually designed edible masterpieces; from buttery biscuits hand-iced using vegetable, fruit and floral based colourings, to gooey and luxurious brownies made with the finest fair trade chocolate...and more. Creating intricate designs using fresh, organic and edible British flowers grown on a farm in sunny Devon, Blushing Cook strives to create cakes that are not just florally beautiful and blooming delicious but that carefully consider the environment.
Brassica Restaurant & Mercantile, Dorset
Brassica Restaurant is not what you might expect from a country restaurant in the small Dorset town of Beaminster, not far from the Jurassic Coast. It’s a confluence of good food and good design led by culinary and design double act, Cass Titcombe, and his wife Louise Chidgey. The couple describes the restaurant as an extension of their own home, where you can enjoy Cass’s skilled cooking showcasing amazing local produce in an intimate setting with a convivial atmosphere effortlessly created by Louise’s use of colour, pattern and lighting.
“It is a simple, deft cooking, with attention to detail” Jay Rayner, The Observer 2015
Brassica presents the very best food, beautifully cooked, with pride but without pretension.
The menu evolves daily and features seasonal produce cooked simply, with a strong Mediterranean influence, and with a refined edge. The majority of the ingredients are produced within 15 miles and much of it is organic - you’ll find Devon Ruby Beef from Haye Farm; organic dairy from Dorset’s Liberty Dairy’ fish, seafood from Lyme Bay and vegetables grown a few miles down the road. Typical main courses may be: Organic Devon Ruby steak frîtes with black garlic; Spaghettini with crab, lobster, chilli and basil; Asparagus with Jersey Royals, parmesan & pickled wild garlic’ or Cod fillet with chickpeas, cavolo nero and aioli.
Brassica won The Good Food Guide Award for Best Local Restaurant South West in 2020.
“All the signs of a chef slipping out of the constraints of a formula and just cooking what he fancies, using fine local produce.” Tracey Macleod, The Independent 2015
Cass, who co-founded Canteen in London in 2005, published the Canteen cookbook in 2010 and Louise, previously a buyer at The Conran Shop and manager/design manager for Tom Conran Restaurants, upped sticks from a hectic London life in 2014 to open their own restaurant in this beautiful corner of Dorset. A long search for the right site, led them to Beaminster Square to a Grade II listed building, which featured in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The building manages to be both light and airy in summer, and warm and cosy in winter.
Nextdoor, Louise has opened Brassica Mercantile, an understated food & homes shop in the with a carefully curated collection of homewares sourced from her favourite designers across the world - there are textiles, tableware, ceramics & glassware and books. You’ll also find food from local farms and producers and cheese, charcuterie and more from Italy and Spain. There are handmade meals prepared by Cass which change daily but may include aubergine melazana, fish pies and soups. If you can’t make it to Dorset, the beautiful collection is available from their online shop.
Brassica is a true family business, with Louise’s father, Graham Chidgey, who led wine merchants Laytons Fine Wines for nearly 30 years, curating the wine list of mainly Old World Wines.
Brassica Restaurant & Mercantile
4-5 The Square, Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3AS
https://brassicarestaurant.co.uk/
Cass Titcombe - Chef Director
Cass is best known a co-founder of micro London chain Canteen in 2005 and as author of Canteen: Great British Food (Ebury Press 2010). After leaving Canteen he consulted with some leading hospitality brands before upping sticks from London to Dorset in 2014 to start a new life and open his own restaurant Brassica in 2014.
Cass began his career in the 1980s at the renowned Hole In The Wall, Circus and Woods restaurants in Bath. In 1994 he moved to London to the celebrated Daphne’s in South Kensington and went on to found The Collection and Pasha for Mogens Tholstrup.
Louise Chidgey - Co-founder/Director
Louise co-founded Brassica with her partner Cass Titcombe in 2014 fleeing a hectic life in London juggling being a mother with a career in interiors and lifestyle with plenty of intonational travel. Louise has not only established the restaurant but launched homes & food shop and online store Brassica Mercantile combining her love of good design and good food.
Louise is one of the UK’s leading design and retail creatives, with expertise in home, interiors and lifestyle. She has extensive experience in the retail sector as well as the influential global trend forecasting business.
After working as a senior buyer for The Conran Shop she became manager/design manager for Tom Conran Restaurants, Marks & Spencer and Selfridges. From 2005-2014 she gained an international reputation as global trend forecasting at WGSN.com and in product design at agency Stylus.com.
Graham Chidgey - Wine Consultant
Louise’s father Graham, held a long a prestigious career in the wine trade 1953. In 1965 Graham took over a small London merchant, Laytons Fine Wines, which he ran successfully until its sale in 1997. He’s also worked with Laytons Fine Wines, André Simon and Malmaison Wine Club. Following the sale of Laytons, Graham moved to Tuscany where he extended the sales potential for Montalcino, Chianti Classico and Piedmont. He also move do to West Dorset in 2014 with his wife, the painter Angela Chidgey
Parson's Nose Butchers, London
Parson’s Nose is a premium London butcher and grocer with a busy online shop and about to launch national delivery.
Parson’s Nose is a premium London butcher and grocer with stores in Fulham, South Kensington and Putney and offering 7 day/week delivery across South West London and soon to launch nationwide delivery through the jam-packed online shop.
Parson’s Nose was founded with one ambition in mind - to bring back the traditional high street butcher that was so loved from our childhood memories and encourage people to eat better quality ethically reared meat. Founded in 2007, Parson’s Nose is led by husband and wife team, Serena and Tony Hindhaugh and supported by a passionate and knowledgeable team of butchers and food lovers. The name, in case you’re wondering, comes from a joke about the back end of a chicken… and that the first shop opened in Parson’s Green!
The butchers source the finest free-range meat that is fully traceable and have worked with some of of the same farms since they opened, including Sutton Hoo Chicken, grass-fed beef from the Scottish lowlands and Plantation Pigs from Sussex. The team work closely with the producers, visiting the farms to understand the whole journey from the farm, through slaughter to butchery and onto your plate. They follow traditional butchery methods - breaking down the whole carcass and using all the meat.
In-store and online you will also find sustainably sourced fish (Fulham and online only), fruit and vegetables, condiments and pantry items, cheese, charcuterie and chef-curated meals, salads and soups created by the Parson’s Nose in partnership with leading chefs. Traditionally seen as an unhealthy option, Parson’s Nose is reinventing the ready meal by using only their counter meat and adding no additional sugars or salt. They call it cheating without the guilt. Meat, mixed meat and fish and fruit & veg boxes are also available as one-off orders or on a regular subscription.
The team is committed to offering consistently excellent customer service and the knowledgeable butchers are always on hand to offer advice on the best cuts of meat, how to cook, recipe ideas as well as being able to talk about the provenance of the meat. The website contains a wealth of cooking tips and recipes.
To offer customers all the convenience of supermarkets, Parson’s Nose offer delivery across West and South West London 7 days a week with same-day-delivery from 8am to 10pm on orders placed before 3pm, you can also add or edit your order on the day. Alternatively, you can order to click and collect in one of the three stores in Fulham, Putney & South Kensington.
In July 2021 the butchers will launch nationwide delivery.
Walnut Tree Inn, Abergavenny
Michelin-star restaurant in Wales with Chef Shaun Hill
Michelin-starred restaurant led by legendary chef Shaun Hill
The Walnut Tree Inn is an iconic Michelin-starred restaurant with cottages led by legendary chef Shaun Hill set in the rolling Welsh hills near Abergavenny and close to the English border. The Walnut Tree has held a Michelin Star since 2010 and is renowned for its unpretentious food served in an elegant but informal setting. Hill’s food is rich in classical techniques and carefully sourced ingredients, yet feels simple and of the
moment.
The Walnut Tree has been known as a food-lovers destination since the early 1960s when it was owned and run by Franco Taruschio. Shaun Hill arrived in 2008 to start a new era for the restaurant. Shaun, was previously chef owner of The Merchant House which, with its Michelin Star and reputation as one of the best restaurants in the country during the 1990s, put Ludlow on the gastronomic map.
After nearly 50 years, Shaun Hill is still found in the kitchen every day. He creates menus featuring the kind of food he likes to eat himself, food that is designed to show off an ingredient and cooked the way it’s meant to be. Dishes are rooted in classical culinary tradition but feel simple and contemporary with a great understanding of flavours and balance. Shaun makes use of first class ingredients, including wonderful local beef and game, British fish and seafood and some fine French cheeses.
The Michelin Guide describes The Walnut Tree as “an iconic restaurant with an illustrious past. Its location in the rolling borderlands of Wales makes it a destination kind of a place and its loyal band of regulars is testament to the quality of the cooking. The owners run it with heart and soul and, with its cosy open-fired bar and dining room hung with colourful art, it’s hard not to love it too.”
Menus change daily but include the like of Scallops with lentil and coriander sauce; Rabbit fricassée; Cod with cauliflower and hazelnut dressing; Middle White pork loin with black pudding and cromesqui; Orange and almond cake with milk ice cream and fig tart with honey and ricotta ice cream. The wine list favours small and artisan makers, with house Champagnes from Billecart-Salmon.
The Walnut Tree Inn https://www.thewalnuttreeinn.com/
Llanddewi Skirrid, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 8AW UK
Awards
Michelin Guide: 1 Star since 2010
3 AA Rosettes
Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards - ranked in the Top 100
Shaun Hill:
The Caterer – Lifetime Achievement Award 2019
Observer Food Monthly Awards – Lifetime Achievement Aware in 2014