Gilpin Lodge
CNG Foodservice Equipment Limited
Over the last 35 years The Cunliffe family have created one of the very best Country House Hotels. During which time they have refined and developed all aspects of the property, with quality at the heart of the operation. Guest rooms are beautifully appointed, as are the public areas, the grounds and the leisure facilities.
Food and beverage at Gilpin has always been excellent, and when in 2015 Gilpin struggled to find a new head Chef they joined forces with Alex Politzi’s BBC2 Chefs on Trial, to find their new Head Chef. Hrishkesh Desai, a Roux Scholar and National Chef of the Year was victorious, soon bringing a Michelin Star back to Gilpin, the family knew the kitchen that he inherited needed a complete change.
CNG’s brief was to design this new facility in a space that included the original kitchen area and a new extension with large windows that look out onto the front of the property, immediately next to the front door.
The kitchen must be efficient, in all senses, easy to operate and maintain. It was vital that the additional space was used to overcome the cramped conditions and allow for preparation to continue throughout the day. In the original kitchen this was impossible as the limited space meant every inch was required during service.
Another key part of the brief was budget, as the kitchen was one of three major developments for which Barney Cunliffe had finance in place. There was no wriggle room
Client Satisfaction
The attached email from the client shows how satisfied the client is, add to this a very happy Chef who loves his new kitchen and tells everyone what a great working environment it is.
During the early design stages Barney and Clive had a long meeting to discuss design fees. This started with Barney failing to see why CNG would want a design fee and ended 4 hours later with him offering to pay for CNG’s work to date and for all future works.
At this time Barney intended taking CNG’s design and spec and splitting it into sections for various companies to supply and Gilpin would install it themselves.
No, we’re not joking!
At a meeting at CNG’s offices a few weeks later he confirmed he wouldn’t tender the job and CNG were doing everything.
He was clearly satisfied with our approach design and service as well as the finished article.
