Vineyard at Stockcross opens new tasting menu restaurant

The Vineyard hotel and spa in Berkshire has opened a new restaurant, the Tasting Room, under executive chef Tom Scade.

The new 28-cover restaurant at the five-red-AA-star property offers a seasonal, five-course tasting menu inspired by the hotel's winery in California.

The dishes include a mix of Peter Michael Vineyard produce such as olive oil, which the family of the vineyard press for themselves, as well as specially selected British ingredients from local suppliers such as Vickers Game and Yattendon Estate.

The autumn menu begins with a Crapaudine beetroot dish paired to a glass of Pinot Noir from Simpsons' Estate in Kent, while the fish course features day boat Cornish turbot with red prawn and champagne sauce, which was influenced by Scade's time working with John Williams as sous chef at the Ritz in London.

There is an optional caviar course, a cheese course showcasing Tunworth, and a dessert created by pastry chef Nicolas Bouhelier, who was pastry sous at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons for nine years.

Wines have been curated by wine director Romain Bourger, who was named Wine and Spirit Ambassador at the 2023 Cateys.

The launch of the Tasting Room comes four years after Scade, a 2018 Taittinger Prix Culinaire finalist, joined the Vineyard.

He said: "As with all hospitality business we have had our struggles over the past three years but we have taken our time and rebuilt steadily, always focusing on the standard, consistency and quality of food and service we offer.

"I have built a strong kitchen brigade with a great mix of young apprentices, all at different stages in there training, supporting a team with many years of high end experience between them. This is why now we feel the time is right to open this new restaurant with a dedicated team working in a separate kitchen space."

Scade told The Caterer: "Personally I'm really excited about this new restaurant at the hotel. We are unique in the fact that we are linked with the Peter Micheal Winery in California. Wine is at the forefront of what we do here and the Tasting Room allows us to give our guests a truly memorable experience, intertwining tasty seasonal dishes with top quality wines and knowledgeable service from Romain."

Items from the Tasting Room menu were trialled at the hotel's main restaurant. The Tasting Room is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.