Aldwark Manor's opening date for £3m Chartwell restaurant

Chartwell is the latest addition to Aldwark Manor Estate, the luxury hotel, spa and golf resort 16 miles from York.

The £3 million restaurant will have a 1940s theme - its name is in honour of wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill, whose country home was called Chartwell. Its design will echo 1940s glamour, say hotel bosses.

A spokesperson said the restaurant, which will offer tasting menus at £95 and £130 with matching wine flights starting at £75, would offer "an unparalleled dining experience steeped in history and elegance".

The fine dining restaurant will open to guests on Wednesday, May 8.

Aldwark Manor Estate. Image: Pic supplied (Image: supplied)

It is the latest addition to Aldwark Manor Estate which has already spent £18 million upgrading its site but plans to spend millions more with further improvements in its spa, conference facilities and in extra bedrooms.

The 24-cover restaurant will open for dinner from Wednesdays to Saturdays and its tasting menus will feature locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, classically cooked.

Chartwell’s skilled team of chefs, headed by Chris O’Callaghan who previously worked at The Fat Duck, Midsummer House, and Gravetye Manor, will present British cuisine with a contemporary twist inspired by the renowned Auguste Escoffier.

Dishes on the menus will include aged Yorkshire beef, with caviar and smoked eel; celeriac, barbecued scallop, cauliflower, grape and bisque; passion fruit curd, mango, and marigold. Vegetarian options will include roast Yorkshire leek, truffle, artichoke, grape and Parmesan kuzu dumplings, broad bean, and tomato dashi.

The Churchill homage dates back to the 1940s when Aldwark Manor Estate was requisitioned by the Home Office at the start of the Second World War to provide accommodation for the Canadian Air Force.

One of the fine-dining dishes at Chartwell, the new restaurant at Aldwark Manor (Image: Supplied)

Christophe Gitton, estate director, said: “Sir Winston Churchill rallied the British people and led the country from the brink of defeat to victory, so coupled with the estate’s connection to the Second World War, it seemed fitting to name our new restaurant after his treasured home in Kent.”

The Churchill theme runs throughout the new restaurant. There is a wine tasting room, Clem, named after his wife, Clementine.

An opulent private dining room is located on a mezzanine floor overlooking the main restaurant. It is named Pinafore, one of the most charismatic private event rooms at The Savoy, where Churchill founded his renowned The Other Club, a British political dining society and the name of a secret lounge at Chartwell.

The seven and ten course tasting menus are named after Champagnes and cigars, two of Churchill’s favourite indulgences.

Champagne was Churchill’s greatest weakness (or strength, as he liked to put it), with his preference being Pol Roger, which will be added to the Chartwell wine list.

Christophe Gitton added: “We are thrilled to introduce Chartwell to our guests at Aldwark Manor Estate. Chartwell encapsulates the essence of Sir Winston Churchill's remarkable legacy, offering a dining experience that is both timeless and unforgettable. Not only is the setting stunning and opulent, but the dishes created by our exceptional team of chefs will undoubtedly make us a top destination for food lovers."