The Tudor Pass: Bearing the Fruits from our Estate…
Homegrown Delights
Since it’s opening last October, it’s fair to say The Tudor Pass team has settled into life on the Estate very comfortably, and what a few months they’ve had! Since receiving their first Michelin star in the spring, they’ve gone from strength to strength. Their unique dining experience has really put them on the gastronomic map and we’re enormously proud of their achievements.
At the heart of their ethos, Executive Head Chef Alex Payne always seeks to use ingredients of impeccable quality and where possible, sourced locally – including ingredients grown right here, in our very own kitchen garden…
The summer months have provided the team with an excellent chance to venture into the grounds to forage for fresh fruits including Apples, Mulberries, Raspberries & Plums. We sat down with Alex to chat about the joys of gathering ingredients from the Estate. “It’s a chef’s dream to able to cook with food that you’ve hand-picked yourself, even more so when it’s grown right on your doorstep. It really is a pleasure”.
Furthermore, Alex was enthusiastic to source ingredients in a sustainable manner – “Obviously, it’s great to know that we’re making the most of what’s grown on the Estate, but also that it’s a sustainable practice, which is definitely important to us, and I’m sure for our guests too”.
“It’s something we’re very proud of. A huge part of the experience at The Tudor Pass is how we interact with our guests. We finish the dishes at the table and talk them through each element, so to be able to explain that we’ve picked ingredients from our grounds really adds something special that guests can take away with them”.
Senior Chef de Partie, Luke ventured out into the Estate to pick ingredients – which as we’re sure you can tell, he was very happy about! Apples were picked from the orchard and used to make an Apple Gel to complement a delicious Lobster & Lemon Verbena Tart, which featured on the Tudor Pass Menu earlier this summer. The plums picked from our grounds were used to make a gel that featured in our Berkshire Woodland Pigeon dish – which to make even more seasonal, now use mulberries picked from the tree on The Orangery Terrace!
As well as Apples, Plums & Mulberries, the team picked their own Raspberries, which also feature on The Tudor Pass menu as a beautifully sweet component in their Peach Melba, which gives the sauce it’s rich pink & red tone!
Seasonality and the wonderful ingredients it provides us with is something the team really thrives on and throughout the coming Autumn months, they’ll be showcasing some truly wonderful dishes with the inclusion of some homegrown elements from here, on the Estate. We’d thoroughly recommend booking into The Tudor Pass to experience its gastronomic delights to see why they’re the proud owner of a Michelin Star… You won’t regret it!
Click here to get to know Alex a little bit more and learn about his journey so far.
Curated by George Waddell