Hotel Cateys 2023: Hotel Restaurant Team of the Year – Woven by Adam Smith

Sponsored by Matthew Clark

It's not easy to win a Michelin star within six months of opening, but the team at Woven by Adam Smith were able to pull it off. Our judges were highly impressed by their group effort to launch a new destination restaurant at a country house hotel. As well as wowing the Michelin inspectors, the team impressed our judges with a forward-thinking approach to training that can serve as an inspiration for other hotel restaurants.

Woven by Adam Smith opened at the five-AA-star Coworth Park in Ascot, Berkshire, in September 2022. It replaced Restaurant Coworth Park, which previously held a Michelin star, so expectations were high.

The team for Woven by Adam Smith was built from scratch. After the closure of Restaurant Coworth Park, the original team either took new positions within the hotel or moved on. This meant there was a blank canvas from which to build a new restaurant. Many of those hired were food and beverage graduates and interns who had only just begun their careers at the hotel, or colleagues from other internal departments, some of whom had never worked in hospitality before. However, they all shared the same excitement and drive to bring a new restaurant to life.

The restaurant, which seats 42 guests in the main dining room and 12 in a conservatory space, serves a seasonal, multi-course menu. After just four months of opening, it closed for a few weeks to help the team train and adapt based on guest feedback. All members of the team contributed ideas on how to improve service and were encouraged to bring their own personality to the guest experience.

Increasing collaboration between front and back of house team members has been a major factor in the restaurant's ongoing success. In May 2023, an ‘Inside Out' scheme was launched that sees a front of house team member and a chef swap positions for a day. This has fostered mutual understanding and respect between the team and has proved so useful that it is now done on a weekly basis.

Staff also have the weekly opportunity to dine at Woven as a guest, providing a reward for their hard work as well as an insight into the diner experience and how it can be improved

The wider focus on development has seen five front of house team members promoted in the first 10 months of the restaurant opening, while there were four kitchen promotions and four chefs who completed their apprenticeships from Bournemouth College.

The success achieved by the Woven by Adam Smith team in such a short time has ensured this restaurant is certainly one to watch.

What the judges said

"I was impressed by their ‘inside out' project and I found it commendable that staff are encouraged to dine in, offering them the invaluable experience of seeing things from the guest perspective." Leni Miras

"We had a real sense that training and investing in the team was of high importance." Jennifer McCabe

The shortlist

• The Bridge, Prestbury
• Stanwell House
• Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park