September 29, 2008 at 9:44 am (Berkshire, Good Gastronomy, Michelin Star Restaurants)
Tags: Michelin Star Restaurants, Michlin 3 star Restaurant UK
The Fat Duck has had a good year as far as awards go, the list so far for 2008 is:
- Good Food Guide accreditation 10/10. Best Restaurant in the UK Good Food Guide 2008
- Second Best Restaurant In The World awarded by the Restaurant Magazines International Academy
- 50 Best Restaurants in the World Awards 2008
- BAFTA nomination in the Features category “Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection” British Academy Television Awards 2008
And of course it has kept its 3 Michelin stars rating.
Heston Blumenthal received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science in 2006 by The University of Reading for his dedicated research and commitment to the exploration of culinary science.
The Fat Duck, Bray
The unpretentious outside of the restaurant is repeated inside with a fairly innocuous unnotable decor in the two down-stairs rooms of this terrace cottage.
But the food…. I had the (many many courses) tasting menu and it was incredible. A taste sensation and visual theatre performance.
I’ll give you just a taster from my Sept 2008 menu:
- Jelly of Quail, Langoustine Cream,Parfait of Foie Gras
- Snail Porridge, Jabugo Ham, Shaved Fennel
- Salmon Poached in Liquorice Gel, Artichoke, Vanilla Mayonnaise and “Manni” Olive Oil
- Mango and Douglas Fir Puree, Bavarois of Lychee and Mango, Blackcurrant Sorbet
- Nitro-scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice Cream
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August 22, 2008 at 10:30 am (Accommodation, Berkshire, Luxury Hotels, Rural Hotel, Spa Hotel, Wedding Destination)
Tags: Luxury Hotel
Luxury and pampering in one of the country’s most impressive hotels - Cliveden House is set in a National Trust stately home within 376 acres of landscaped gardens near Taplow in Berkshire.
Originally built in 1666, William Waldorf Astor, America’s richest citizen, gave it to his son and daughter-in-law as a wedding gift in 1906 and it became the hub of a hectic social whirl where guests included Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill.
Today the hotel, one of the von Essen collection of hotels, has visitors from all over the world. Celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt have enjoyed total privacy there, while in recent years Steven Gerrard and Ant McPartlin both held their weddings at Cliveden.
On a much smaller scale, the hotel serves up an award-winning afternoon tea and a three-course table d’hote menu in the splendid Terrace Dining Room overlooking the Parterre and the Thames winding beyond is an affordable treat any day of the week.
Meanwhile the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Waldo’s, continues to make headlines in the foodie press.
Cliveden’s Pavilion Spa incorporates the outdoor swimming pool built by Lord Astor to deter his wife, Nancy, from swimming in the Thames and later made famous by the scandalous Profumo affair.
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