The beautiful hotel owned by Historic Sussex Hotels had invested in new banqueting facilities so even more guests attending weddings, parties and special occasions could enjoy outstanding quality food. The kitchen had to be powered up to deliver the extra capacity and flexibility, with a new building extension equipped with a whole host of features to make it easier and more practical to deliver the quality and the volume.
Space worked with the chefs and the hotel owners to create a blueprint for the new kitchen. The design incorporated a large central island unit featuring a Charvet 800 Series range and a sequence of griddles and planchers suited together to form a single station. Supported by stockpot boilers, bratt pans and water baths, this set-up ensures all bases are covered.Finishing touches to the food are done on any one of the three new plating areas and up to three passes can be pressed into service at once.
High on the chefs’ wish list was a Rational SCC101 combination oven. This is now in constant use day and night, for everything from delicate fish and dessert dishes to overnight braising of meat and joints. The fact that the machine cleans itself is another plus point for the team.
A new pastry pass is equipped with an under-counter freezer and fridge for delivering fine quality pastry and dessert work. There is now also a large walk-in cold room for storage of food products, as well as a blast chiller for the rapid chilling of food.
Underfoot, a resin floor forms a continuous surface with no seams or gaps, and is fitted with gulley drains to make cleaning easier and more practical.
“I’m over the moon with my new kitchen – so much so it’s now a pleasure to come to work!” says Stephen Crane, Head Chef. “Not only are there better flows and dedicated areas but everything is clean and in its place, it all works well and it’s a joy to maintain. Space gave us everything we asked for – and you can’t ask for more than that.”