Celebrate Afternoon Tea Week, August 12th-18th, with pure indulgence at the Royal Berkshire, Ascot
Guests can take a seat for a luxury afternoon tea at Royal Berkshire, whether in The Polo Bar, Fork restaurant, or out on the terrace during the warmer months.
Those visiting will indulge in this English tradition in a charming English setting, a treat for everyone who experiences it. Royal Berkshire also offers special family-friendly afternoon teas on Halloween and Easter, with specially curated menus and activities designed to delight even the youngest guests.
Head Chef Jamie Brown and his team are behind the menu development, which features seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. Menu highlights include honey roast ham and wholegrain mustard sandwiches, Early Grey tiramisu and Baileys cheesecake. Available all year round: from 12:00pm to 5:00pm daily, Monday to Friday in The Polo Bar or garden terrace weather permitting and Saturday & Sunday in Fork restaurant, for £42 per person. With 15% off Adult Afternoon Tea Monday-Friday for the whole of August.
New menus, new open kitchen and grill set to entice diners
The Barn has relaunched at Coworth Park near Ascot with a brand-new kitchen and produce-led, ingredient-focused menu.
Housed in the original barn frame, the new open kitchen and grill takes pride of place in The Barn. Guided by seasonal ingredients from the UK’s best producers, the menu features Executive Chef Adam Smith’s take on British classics, and encourages a convivial, relaxed style of dining.
Fresh and preserved ingredients from the Coworth Park estate feature on the menu, as seen in the elderflower vinegar and cordial used as a dressing for the Scallop crudo starter. Adam also works closely with leading British producers, such as Beal’s Farm Charcuterie for English mangalitsa coppa, and small-scale suppliers for English wagyu and wild venison.
Main courses on the new menu include classics such as Smithy’s chicken pie, alongside simple meat, fish and vegetable focused dishes, including Hereford côte de boeuf (to share); Spatchcock quail with rosemary and lemon; and a selection of day boat fish from Cornwall that can all be served either grilled or beer battered.
From Garden herb chimichurri and Tarragon Hollandaise to 50/50 mash and BBQ broccoli, the tempting array of sauces and sides will see guests ordering generously for the table, for a relaxed, sharing style of dining. Chef Adam’s playful approach and a touch of nostalgia can be seen through the dessert menu, which includes The Barn Trifle; Baked cheesecake with Yorkshire rhubarb; and Soft serve ice cream with flake and sprinkles.
On Sundays, guests will be able to enjoy perfectly executed traditional roasts, with starters such as Prawn cocktail followed by Waterford roast sirloin of beef or Whole roast Devon White chicken (to share), served with all the trimmings. Decadent British classics rule the Sunday dessert menu, with options including Sticky toffee pudding and Apple & cinnamon crumble with custard and ice cream.
The Barn welcomes groups of all sizes and generations to experience its relaxed, rustic charm. Feasting menus, for groups of 10 or more, feature many of The Barn’s signature dishes and are served family style down the table for everyone to share. There is also a kid’s menu, designed to include young guests in The Barn’s ingredient-led relaxed approach to dining.
For locals, hotel guests and diners from further afield, The Barn is a perfect restaurant for all occasions and seasons. In winter it is the height of cosiness with the roaring fire, in summer the floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light, and guests can also choose to sit on the large outdoor terrace.
Community concert raises £3,000 for DEC Ukraine Appeal
A community concert, organised by local preparatory school St George’s School Windsor Castle and hosted by Windsor Parish Church, raised over £3,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal.
Beginning with a champagne and canapé reception, more than 100 parents and members of the local community took their sets for the event on April 28th and enjoyed a stirring rendition of Fauré’s Requiem.
Led by the school’s director of music, James Wilkinson, the 40-minute piece of work was performed by the St George’s School Chamber Choir, accompanied by an ensemble of professional musicians. Four of the senior choristers of St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, all Year 8 students at the school, joined the stage for the spine-tingling Pie Jesu.
“It was an exceptional and highly poignant performance, perfect for the occasion,” commented William Goldsmith, head of St George’s School Windsor Castle. “As a school with the values of kindness, honesty and courage, we felt rightly compelled to use some of the breadth of talent that exists across the school to support the plight of the people of Ukraine in a positive and meaningful way.”
The money raised, through advance ticket sales and donations on the night, will be given to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to help provide food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection for families fleeing conflict in the country.
“We are extremely grateful for all of the generous donations from those who attended, the musicians and performers for donating their time and the support from the school’s parent body and wider community to enable the event to go ahead,” added Goldsmith.
Windsor Parish Church, Brill Media, Run Print Run and Luxe Flowers were among those to support the event.
Further information about St George’s School Windsor Castle can be found at www.stgwindsor.org, or by attending the school’s upcoming open event on Saturday 21 May. Interested families are invited to register for the event via the website or by calling 01753 865553
Heathfield School in Ascot proves its ‘Excellent’ rating by Independent Schools Inspectorate this year, when every student exceeded their GCSE prediction
When the GCSE results came in last week, it was smiles all round at Heathfield School in Ascot, for all girls had exceeded their predicted aspirational targets, with 100% of its students achieving A*-C / 9-6 grades in Maths and English Language, and 100% A*-C grades in Business, Classical Civilisation, French, History and Spanish. Every student taking History secured A-A*s and all those taking Latin a 9-7 grading. Half of students taking Chemistry secured a 9-7 and a quarter of students taking French also secured A*s / 9-8s.
The girls’ fortes in the arts also shone through – every student taking Music secured 9-8, four in five students taking Art 9-7 and half of all girls taking Drama 9-7.
Hermione Hunt-Davis triumphed with two A*s in French and History, five 9s in English Language, English Literature, Maths, Latin and Religious Studies, three 8s in Chemistry, Biology and Spanish and one 7 in Physics.
Sophia Adderley, next year’s Head Girl, also excelled with four 9s in Maths, English Literature, Geography and Art, two 8s in English Language and French and two 7s in Chemistry and Religious Studies.
Tansy Adam – who has starred in many school productions and won her heat in the vocal class in the RIBI Young Musician of the Year Competition – achieved 9 in Drama, English Language and Religious Studies.
Talented and promising art student Harriet Hooper gained a 9 in Art, while Lacrosse player Aisha Edwards, who was selected to represent the U17 South East London North Team in the Regional Academy Tournament in April earlier this year, achieved 7 in both PE and Maths.
Commenting on the results Headmistress Marina Gardiner Legge, said, “I’m absolutely thrilled with this year’s GCSE results and would like to congratulate each and every girl on their terrific achievements. The results are a glowing testimony to the breadth and diversity of education we provide here at Heathfield – valuing in equal measure academic achievements and success in sport, music, drama and the arts. It is our job to enable every girl to be the very best she can be, in a happy and supportive environment. Developing character traits like persistence, confidence and the desire to achieve are top of our agenda, and as we all know, happy, confident girls to succeed.”
To meet growing demand for places, the school has submitted plans to develop a superb new £1.5m Sixth Form Study Centre which will sit next to the school’s existing Sixth Form boarding house. This state of the art building will feature a large and tranquil study area overlooking greenery and woodland, classrooms and break out hubs as well as a spacious social, café and event area with bi-fold doors into an outdoor space, designed to bring nature inside. It will also feature a fully furnished library set in a landscaped environment with a sensory garden.
Heathfield school welcomes prospective students and their parents to its Sixth Form open evening on Wednesday, 26th September – please email [email protected] or call 01344 898342.
