Exclusive Collection is set to unveil two new restaurants later this spring – Hillfield Restaurant & Bar, an ode to Surrey produce at Pennyhill Park, and The Wellhouse at Lainston House, an evening-only immersive dining experience focused on seasonal wood-fired cooking.
The developments form part of Exclusive Collection’s wider commitment to reinvesting back into the properties and creating original concepts that appeal to their local audience as well as hotel guests.
The Wellhouse, Lainston House
The Grade II listed 17th Century manor Lainston House is home to The Avenue, an award-winning restaurant in the main house, renowned for its modern fine dining menu championing seasonal produce.
Also on the estate is the historic listed outbuilding famous for its popular cookery school Season, where The Wellhouse will be unveiled, taking its name from the original use of the building. The Wellhouse will bring a year-round, unique food, drink and social experience to Hampshire, celebrating the simplicity of wood-fired cooking where guests will be able to eat in the historic rustic-luxe surroundings inside, or in the idyllic outside setting in the vast kitchen garden.
With Phil Yeomans at the helm, The Wellhouse will take inspiration from the hotel’s kitchen garden as well as the produce found in the county including meat, fish, dairy, wines and spirits, notably from River Test Chalkstream and River Itchen.
In terms of the drinks programme, guests can expect local wines, ales and Lainston apple ciders, homegrown garden-inspired cocktails and signature serves on the drinks list – including ‘shandygaff’, a long forgotten and very traditional English shandy, whereby the ale is enhanced by the option to mix it with a ginger beer top and a shot of kitchen garden cordial.
Hillfield Restaurant & Bar, Pennyhill Park
Named after the earliest historical reference to the land, ‘Pennyhillfield’, Hillfield Restaurant & Bar will be a hyper-local English brasserie showcasing the very best of Surrey’s produce.
Located in the five-star luxury Pennyhill Park resort and sitting alongside the hotel’s existing Michelin star restaurant, Latymer, Hillfield will focus on fine casual quality food and drink. Experience will be at the heart of the offering as the team look to celebrate provenance and traceability of produce from the Pennyhill Park estate, Surrey Hills and the wider county.
There will be a particular focus on working with farmers who preserve and enhance the landscape with a commitment to high welfare and sustainability. Overseeing the kitchen’s ‘Farm to Fork – Nose to Tail’ philosophy will be Lewis Russell. Lunch and dinner services will offer a modern British brasserie-style menu including Local Beef Short Rib Arancini, Venison Wellington, and Hillfield Hot Pot, while a dedicated cheese bar will also be on offer featuring a rotating selection of local artisanal cheeses and predominantly British varieties.
The Hillfield Bar will serve food and drink with a five-star twist as well as bar nibbles, pastries and cakes from the Pennyhill bakery, alongside the hotel’s award-winning Afternoon Tea. Guests can also expect the very best in English aperitifs, signature Surrey Spritzes, Hillfield house-made cordials, local beers and an extensive wine list.
Pennyhill Park will also unveil a new alfresco dining spot, Lily Pond, tucked away behind the hotel’s pond with views across the estate. The intimate terrace will have a focus on wood-fired cooking including flatbreads, hot soups and warm meat sandwiches, accompanied by garden infused spirits, mixers and pitchers.
