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12th June 2019

Let’s Hear it for the Traditional Sunday Lunch

By Graham on News

There are some things that define us as a nation; two of these being food and how we eat food.
Around the world, the Brits are known for our fish and chips, the full English breakfast and of course Sunday lunch.

While the former two dishes are these days more often reserved for special treat occasions, the Sunday lunch – and specifically the Sunday roast – is a cultural tradition that lives on for many families every weekend.It is a great focal point for gathering family and friends in one place to celebrate the end of the week – the last big blow out before ‘back to normality’ Monday!

These days Sunday lunchtime is an extended afternoon window where the meal can be the beginning or end of a country walk or coastal meander and precede an afternoon of games, movies or the good old fashioned post-roast snooze (often aided by a lunchtime pint or glass of wine).

The Carlton Hotel, in Ilfracombe, has built up a reputation for its North Devon Sunday lunch menu, which reflects this versatility. The Carlton Sunday lunch menu naturally includes the traditional roast with all the trimmings – West Country beef, Exmoor pork, chicken or lamb- but also reflects a variety and range of tastes and dietary preferences that the Brits have developed in recent years.

Sunday Lunch with Provenance

The use of locally sourced ingredients illustrates changing attitudes towards food. Increasingly, people want to know where the provenance of their food and know where it has come from.

Carlton Hotel chef / patron, Eliot Seabourn-Wren, agrees. “One thing we realised very quickly when we took over the Carlton is how many people were asking about the origin of the food on their plates.

The fresher it is, the tastier it is, and there is something naturally more enjoyable about dishes that use meat or fish that is locally sourced. Great quality ingredients don’t need to be messed around with either, ensuring that the cooking process lets the food shine. Our Sunday menu, just like our main menus, has meat from the West Country. And added to this we feature really local fish and seafood from around the North Devon coast- such as our (oven baked) Lundy Cod and locally landed haddock.”

The Importance of Catering for All

Much has been made in recent months of a shift in national eating habits, with more people than ever embracing the concepts of vegetarianism and veganism. In the old days that would have meant a Sunday roast… with no meat (or a dry slice of a nut roast), but the Carlton’s Sunday lunch menu illustrates how far we have come.

A decent Sunday lunch menu now considers the ‘V/Vg’ customer as far more than an afterthought – the Carlton’s popular spicy North African vegetable Tagine (or Tajine option) being a case in point. The Carlton has always been responsive to customers’ food needs too – particularly when it comes to allergens and intolerances . The food on its range of menus is freshly prepared, from scratch, meaning the kitchen can easily adapt dishes as required. And the whole Carlton team embrace allergen and intolerance awareness to ensure your dietary interests are followed through to your plate; with gluten free options within all courses, as one example.

The British Sunday Lunch: A Brief History

Traditionally, the Bristish Sunday lunch has been the roast, which purportedly became a cultural signpost for the Brits during the reign of Henry Vll (1495 – 1509). The royal bodyguards’ penchant for eating roast beef heralded the nickname Beefeaters, which is still used today, and the French were soon calling the British Rosbifs.

As a meal to celebrate Sunday (which for many years was the only day off for many). If you were rich you roasted your own animal, and if poor you often relied on dropping off a cut of meat to the village baker to roast in his empty pans while you stopped by church. It was the most important meal of the week for the family – the meat representing a protein filled treat which was complemented by whatever vegetables were in season (potatoes of course being ubiquitous as a good storage crop).

While tastes have definitely changed in recent years, the reasons behind the Sunday roast (and its broader Sunday lunch incarnation) remain unchanged in British culture. This a meal to be shared, to be celebrated, and fortunately in 2019 that privilege comes with the advantage of having someone else to do the washing up!

The Carlton Club Brasserie is open to non-residents. To book a table for Sunday lunch, call 01271 862446 or email dine@ilfracombecarlton.co.uk.

Serve, eat, enjoy.

3rd June 2019

Poached Salmon, Crispy Skin & Heritage Tomato Salad

By Graham on News

This is a light summery dish. We buy our heritage tomatoes from Edds the Greengrocer at Mullacott. You can use baby cherry tomatoes, red / yellow or any combination. At this time of year it’s great to get a box of bright and colourful English varietals. Packed full of flavour too. Staying with the seasonal and local produce we add Braunton asparagus (from the Great Field) to this dish. You can use caperberries or samphire in its place.

Ingredients

2 ea 175gm salmon supreme

400 gm heritage tomatoes / cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp fresh basil

2 sticks celery (washed)

½ ea large white onion, peel & sliced

1 ea banana shallot, peeled and long sliced

1 ea lemon zest & juice

5 gm fennel seed

50 ml white wine

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp virgin olive oil

12 ea caperberries / asparagus / samphire

1 tbsp flat parsley, picked leaf

Method

Remove the skin from the salmon supreme. Place the skin in a parchment paper envelope. The place this between two heavy baking trays. Cook in hot oven for around 20 minutes. The skin will shrink a little but crisp up flat.
Whilst the skin is crisping, combine the wine, celery, onion, fennel seed, lemon zest in a shallow pan. Bring to boil, then simmer.
Poach the salmon supremes in the hot liquid. Takes about 10 minutes. Remove and pat dry, keep hot between two warm plates.
Prepare the tomato salad. Slice the tomatoes, drizzle the oil, season in a clean bowl.
To the tomato add the sliced shallots, picked basil and caperberries (or samphire or asparagus).
Arrange with the salmon fillet on top, place the skin on the top of this.

Serve, eat, enjoy.

3rd June 2019

Route to the Perfect Cycling Holiday in North Devon

By Graham on News, Uncategorised

It’s time to settle into the saddle, grind through the gears and pedal out some more of those favourite bicycle related clichés before we take you into the wonderful world of the North Devon cycling holiday!

So what does North Devon have to offer the cyclist? It’s easier to mention what it doesn’t, because the region has it all – from sportive quality road biking to off road mountain biking and pootling along a flat scenic track for casual all-the-family cycling. In short, if you’re looking for a cycling holiday this year, set the Garmin south westwards.

Road Cycling in North Devon

If you’re a serious cyclist on the road then you want hills and this is where the Carlton Hotel, located in Ilfracombe, sits in a strategic position at the bottom of a long and steep hill (the term combe comes from the old English word for steep valley). Challenging start (but a great finish!).

While there is great cycling to be had around the town, with some nice circular routes that take in coastal views and some more of those challenging hill climbs such as the infamous Challacombe hill which featured in last year’s Tour of Britain.

However, the real joys of North Devon road cycling can be achieved on the twists, turns and straights of Exmoor National Park which extends to the east of Ilfracombe. A hit with many a cyclist whose first experience of Exmoor cycling often comes with an instant dose of bike induced nirvana!

Sweeping views across the moors, dips down into wooded valleys, quaint villages to roll into, with local ales and cream teas on offer (we’re not all trying to set land speed records) are all part of the Exmoor road bike experience.

As well as its proximity to Exmoor, Ilfracombe sits at the end of a 99 mile coast to coast ride across the length of Devon (taking in national cycle routes 27 and 3). From nearby Barnstaple, route 3 also runs from Barnstaple to Tiverton (the scenic route takes in Exmoor and the River Taw), which is 47 miles one way.

The Carlton provides a great base for those planning a North Devon cycling holiday – individual and group. We have free parking and a secure facility to keep those expensive road bikes safe while you unwind with good food from our bistro (including a healthy wellbeing option) and a massage treatment.

Mountain Biking in North Devon

Road bikes and the suck of all encompassing Lycra not for you? No problem! North Devon’s combination of country and coast makes for perfect mountain biking territory. The country lanes of Devon, fringed by their tall Devon banks, are plentiful and mostly quiet and along the way there are many bridleways that allow riders to navigate various off road terrains.

While many mountain bikers like to plot their own route, there are plenty of options for those who are looking for riding that’s a little more customised. Right on the edge of Ilfracombe we have Keypitt’s farm which has a choice of Blue to Black grade trails. Near Barnstaple you can also find Coxleigh Barton Equestrian Centre which has trails for mountain bikes that make the most of the ups and downs, much through woodland, of this country estate with amazing views over the Taw estuary.

Family Cycling in North Devon

Every parent knows how much fun it is travelling on holiday with a car full of kids… A lot less fun than a family cycling adventure once you’ve arrived! While North Devon is renowned for its hills, casual cyclists are not renowned for their love of them… which is why the flat length of Tarka Trail, running from Braunton to Bideford (via Barnstaple) has established itself as a popular route.

Perfect for a family cycling party that values checking out the scenery more than clocking up the miles in a saddle. Tracing the Taw river, the Tarka Trail follows the old railway line (hence, long, straight and flat!). Along the route there are plenty of cool and funky places to stop, refuel and rest including the excellent cake and brownie experts Bake and Brew and fresh seafood from The Glorious Oyster.

The Tarka Trail is the perfect way to explore the region’s towns, especially with the tourist traffic that comes in school holidays. With bike hire available in Braunton and Barnstaple this is a great way to spend an afternoon, or even plot a day trip.

Remember how we said Ilfracombe starts and ends with a hill? Well there is an alternative, which allows even the most amateur cyclists escape the combe with barely a break of sweat as the old railway line (now a walking and cycling route) has an extremely low gradient.

So that ends our race through North Devon cycling holiday options. With its luxurious rooms, healthy dining, bar, gym and treatment facilities The Carlton Hotel makes for a wonderful base camp to explore Devon’s variety of cycling routes.

Contact the Carlton Hotel to book a cycling break here in beautiful North Devon and enjoy a little bit of luxury, contact us on 01271 862446 or email enquiries@ilfracombecarlton.co.uk.

10th May 2019

Holiday Like a Victorian in Ilfracombe!

By Emily on News, Uncategorised

The Victorians gave us many things – the ‘British’ bulldog, a sense of Empire, rules and manners… While these pillars of the Victorian age seem antiquated now, there is one institution, inspired by the time of Queen Victoria, whose influence can still be felt today.

It was the Victorians that gave us Brits our tradition of escaping to the seaside, thanks to the Nineteenth century invention of railways and steam ships which brought the possibility of cross country travel to ordinary folk.

The pretty town of Ilfracombe in North Devon owes much of its present to the Victorians, who popularised this quiet fishing village on the North Devon coast as a go to seaside destination. Evidence of this bustling era in its history can be seen today as a stroll around the town reveals many buildings which were built at the time.

Ilfracombe is home to the Grand Victorian and Steampunk Festival which takes place every year (15th – 23rd June in 2019). The town is also home to theCarlton Hotel, itself a Victorian building (although extensively refurbished in recent years to shine with a 21st century dash of first class) and the perfect base for a historical breakin North Devon.

Throughout the nineteenth century, a seaside scene developed in the UK, one crystallised in the words of the 1907 music hall song by John A. Glover-Kind, a rendition of which is as ubiquitous as calls of ‘Are we there yet?’ on many a holiday car journey to the coast:
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea,
I do like to stroll along the prom, prom, prom, Where the brass bands play tiddly-on-pom-pom!

Modesty is a quality often associated with the Victorians. In the Nineteenth century, Victorian ladies decamped from their bathing machines (or swam from designated ladies’ beaches), dressed in an attire much resembling the Burkini of today. Men folk, on the other hand would parade their wares al fresco – hence the need for a separate beach – and Ilfracombe’s Tunnels, which are a popular attraction today, tell this tale of Victorian bathing habits!

What is the Grand Victorian and Steampunk Festival?

Ilfracombe has celebrated its Victorian past for many years with an annual celebration, which involves parades and ‘tea with the Queen’ with music playing from the bandstand in the quaint Runnymede Gardens. Dressing up as one’s favourite Victorian character was very much the order of the day for Victorian Week and it is a town tradition that has been much cherished over time by locals and visitors,enjoying a historical break,alike.

In recent years the tradition has received a breath of fresh air with a new generation of Victorian enthusiasts who are mixing history with a healthy pinch of fantasy, represented by the influx of Steampunk fans.

Now the events of Victorian week combine the historical and the fictional with activities that include teapot racing, ghost walks, parasol duelling, a Masked and Time travellers ball, tea parties on the lawn, art competitions and a lot of period dressing up!Of course fancy dress is not obligatory and any out of town visitors, down for a historical break in North Devon, just enjoy the spectacle!

With a reputation for being quirky and fun for all the family, the latest incarnation of this Ilfracombe tradition takes place just a stroll from the Carlton Hotel (meaning all the fun you can have in a starched shirt – or full petticoat -can be succeeded by a luxurious night of dinner, bed and breakfasting before starting all over).

Steampunk Holiday Destination

The Ilfracombe event has become something of a Steampunk holidaydestination in recent years and it’s certainly a scene that has been growing – helped in part by movies such as The League of Extraordinary gentlemen, The City of Lost Children, The Three Musketeers (circa 2011) and the Guy Ritchie revamp of Sherlock Holmes.

Steampunk supposedly began as a joke term somewhere in the early Noughties, used to describe a specific genre of science fiction which celebrated the fantastical potential of the future within the nostalgia of the past (it has also been called ‘retro-futuristic’).

The Huffington Post talks of ‘retro pimping’, with old fashioned materials such as copper, brass, glass and mechanical workings as being characteristicsof the Steampunk movement and it has been credited with awakening an interest in the Victorian era amongst younger generations.

Not to be taken too seriously, the DIY ethos of Steampunk dressing up is nevertheless seriously good fun,so why not do something different this yearand head off to North Devon for a Steampunk holiday?

Contact the Carlton Hotel to book a historical break during Victorian Week or fuel your Steampunk holiday with a little bit of luxury, contact us on 01271 862446 or email enquiries@ilfracombecarlton.co.uk.

10th May 2019

The D-Day North Devon Holiday Experience

By Emily on News

North Devon D-Day commemorations are taking place this June and the region is going to be hosting some fantastic events to mark the occasion. The centre piece, and a unique North Devon holiday experience, will be a two day event on the wonderful Saunton Sands which will see the beach transformed into a snapshot from a different era on the weekend of June 15th/16th.

For many years, North Devon’s unique contribution to the D-Day landings was something of a hidden history. Between 1943 and 1944 it was the temporary home for over 10,000 American GIs who were mostly billeted in and around the villages of Woolacombe and Braunton.

However, the annual Saunton D-Daycommemoration event has helped to put the region’s WW2 past on the map. In the past couple of years has attracted big crowds – with its mix of living history, period vehicle and airplane displays and educational activities – attracting visitors from around the country and beyond.

This year will have added attraction as the event marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings and organisers are promising ‘one of the biggest battle displays’ the South West has ever seen! This is the only large scale living history event of its kind in the UK – taking place as it does at an actual WW2 site.

North Devon’s D-Day History

How did they end up in North Devon? The D-Day invasion required an expeditionary force and final assault on mainland Europe that had no historical precedent. Launching attacks in occupied France from the UK’s south coast was a massive gamble that required intricate planning and coordination.

By the time the USA had committed to the exercise, the ‘best’ training spots were already taken up by the British and Canadian armies. They were offered a stretch of coastline that was deemed totally unsuitable for training – the beaches of Woolacombe, Croyde and Saunton and the sand dune system of Braunton Burrows.

It was here that commanding officer, Brigadier General Paul Thompson established the Assault Training Center and worked on a blueprint for the impending invasion – training troops for the task of assaulting heavily defended beaches, which required mastering new weapons such as the bazooka rocket.

As fate would have it, North Devon’s coastline turned out to be more than suitable for the task, with the steep dunes of Woolacombe in particular serving as a remarkably similar substitute for the terrain the GIs would encounter in northern France that fateful day in June 1944.

The vital role the coastline played was reflected in a wonderful quote from Brigadier General Thompson, who once noted; “If Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, surely the sands of the North Devon beaches contributed importantly to the success of the assault over the Normandy beaches”.

North Devon D-Day Commemoration: What to Expect?

The Saunton D-Day weekend is not the only event taking place to mark the 75th anniversary. In the month leading up to it, visitors can enjoy a D-Day inspired North Devon holiday experience thanks to a wider programme of events. The Devon D-Day initiative involves museumsacross the district, from micro exhibitions to special walks and talks with WW2 historians.

The Carlton Hotel, in Ilfracombe provides the perfect base to immerse yourself in the wartime experience, its high class en suite bedroomsproviding first class comfort after a day spent trudging on the front line of the D-Day North Devon holiday experience. Quite a change from the days when it accommodated billeted US troops from the Pay Corps during the Second World War!

And one doesn’t have to stray too far either to get a taste. On the doorstep, Ilfracombe and Mortehoe Museums host D-Day RememberedandWartime Woolacombe and Mortehoeexhibits. The Carlton is also just a 20 minute drive from the main Saunton beach event.

Ilfracombe celebrates its own contributions to history with two events that have become permanent fixtures on the North Devon What’s On calendar. Throughout the month of June, the town will take its annual walk back in time to celebrate the Grand Victorian and Steampunk Festival which enjoys a reputation for being a great spectacle.

Later on in the summer, The Carlton is supporting the Sea Ilfracombe Maritime Festival (the weekend of August 31st/September 1st) with our own special sea food dishes contributing to a celebration of all things sea based.

If you have an interest in history, especially 20th century and the WW2 experience, North Devon this summer provides a unique destination to visit. Contact the Carlton to book a stay and do it in style! Give us a call on 01271 862446 or email enquiries@ilfracombecarlton.co.uk.

10th May 2019

Summer Chicken With Braunton Asparagus

By Emily on News

This delicious summer chicken dish is a combination of local chicken with local asparagus, baby vegetables, and a lighter style sauce.

6th May 2019

Events That Sparkle

By Emily on Events

For that special birthday surprise. For that symbolic anniversary. For that reunion, you’ve been waiting years for. For that extra special wedding day. For that first baby shower. For that family gathering & Sunday roast. For that show stopping foodie treat. The Carlton is the perfect place to make your event sparkle and celebrate those special moments with loved ones that last forever for

Now fully refurbished and open all year round, The Carlton remains a great value venue for any occasion. With private dining for that special birthday surprise, or symbolic anniversary, or reunion that you’ve been waiting years for. The hotels fresh and well designed facilities are equally perfect for weddings, formal dinners, as well as smaller gatherings. Event spaces at the hotel have a capacity of up to 90 guests formal sit down, and flexibility to allow for dancing and entertainment.

Call us today on 01271 862446
or email enquiries@ilfracombecarlton.co.ukto book your table or special event.

3rd May 2019

Healthy North Devon Break

By Emily on News

Once upon a time the concept of going away on holiday involved leaving all one’s good habits behind and spending the break indulging in a festival of gluttony. Eating and drinking far too much, one would return home joking about the need for a holiday to get over the holiday…

These days wellbeing is playing a much more significant role in the break away In fact, wellbeing and wellness are concepts that are playing a more significant role in our lives full stop, a trend reflected in the rising number of people seeking a healthy North Devon break.

Wellness is a Lifestyle

A recent survey published in Forbes magazinefound that eight in ten people in the USA believe that wellnessis not a fad but a lifestyle these days. Technology was supposed to free us up to pursue more of what we enjoyed doing, but we seem to have become enslaved by our smart phones instead. This has even been acknowledged by the Silicon Valley pioneers that developed the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter , who are now disconnectingthemselves and their children from the internet.

The Carlton Hotel in Ilfracombe has seen a dramatic uptake in interest in the wellness options it offers guests. Its stylish rooms, combining aspects of the Victorian building with upper class modern luxury, and in-house gym and treatment rooms are a perfect fit for a healthy break..

Eating for Wellbeing

New research, just published in the Lancet, and based on a 27 year global study, claims ‘what we aren’t eating is killing us’ and of course it makes sense that what we put into our bodies is fundamental for our health… sometimes we just need to stop, take stock and start again on a healthier path.

At the Carlton, and new for this season, is a Wellbeing menuwhich has at its heart the nutritious sustenance that a healthy body requires to thrive. Dishes are light and delicate but full of flavour and prepared with fresh ingredients, and seasonally sourced locally.Complementing the treatments available at the Carlton, the menu even gives the option to combine pre-treatment nourishment with nutritional plates. This holistic approach is designed to bring maximum health benefits to the body.

Eastern Inspiration for Wellness

To ease away the stresses and tease out the tensions accrued from the crash and burn stresses of the 9-5 shift (with obligatory post-work ‘catch up on a few emails’) or the 24 hour demands of running a family, the Carlton has a number of health and beauty treatment options available for guests.

The Eastern concept of chi, or energy, is integral to some of the treatmentsthe Carlton has to offer on a healthy North Devon break; from hot stone massages that target the body’s natural energy points, to Tai Chi sessions for stimulating all body energy flow. Massage sessions – targeting specific points, or all over body – can be enjoyed in the Carlton treatment rooms, or in the privacy of your own hotel room if preferred.

The Carlton is also channelling some more Eastern inspired wellness for a healthy North Devon break in the form of the meditative effects of its new gong bath treatment. This is a wellness treatment that has been attracting much attention in the past year and has been noted for its stress busting qualities.

Tapping in to the Natural Outdoors

Whilst promoting in house treatments, the team at The Carlton are delighted to work with local practitioners well versed in the outdoor pursuits. Building on the natural assets of England’s adventure coast, the family or team can simply immerse themselves in the many activities right on the hotel’s doorstep. From the gentle coastal path ramble through to more dynamic sports such as surfing and coasteering, the hotel can help with ensuring your time spent in North Devon is well time.

So forget about wellbeing as being just a post New Year detox to get you back on track after the December gorge-a-thon! It’s an all year pursuit and one that has demonstrably positive effects for personal health, not to mention the health of any business team. For more information about the Carlton Hotel’s wellbeing packages, get in touch by email or telephone (01271 862446).

3rd May 2019

Great stuff from the Great Field

By Emily on News

Now that summer is just around the corner we are buying local asparagus, and this features through our brasserie menu. Delivered by Edds (wholesale greengrocer at Mullacott) grown and picked at Broadlands Farm, outside Braunton which is part of the flat landscape known as the Great Field.

Typically and throughout the year we also receive, locally grown swede, cauliflowers, Maris piper potatoes and spring greens from Braunton.

Other potatoes picked in Bideford and depending on the time of the year, savoy, tundra and red cabbage are available again in Braunton. Occasionally, purple sprouting and kale are available again from the Great Field.

About the Great Field

Braunton’s Great Field truly lives up to its name. It is treasured as one of only two surviving medieval open strip field systems in England and is believed to date way back the 1200s. Here you can walk through a medieval landscape; covering an area of around 350 acres (equivalent to 200 football pitches). Such fields were the norm in medieval England but virtually all have since been lost or modified.

This huge field would have been used by hundreds of landworkers, busily farming the food they needed to support their families. The land was farmed in narrow strips, most comprising of 22 yards (one chain) by one furlong (220 yards) in length, which interestingly makes an acre, which it was said was the amount an Oxen could plough in a day. Clusters of strips were given field names such as Gallowell, Pitlands, Longhedgelands, etc.

In 1840 it was recorded that the Great Field was divided into some 600 strips in 60 different ownerships. Today the land is worked by just a small number of farmers but clues to the field’s ancient heritage are easy to spot. Although some of the distinct landsherds (small mounds of earth separating the strips) have been lost through modern farming methods together with the Bond Stones which marked division in ownership, many landsherds and the furlough boundary tracks still remain in place.

2nd May 2019

Corporate Events With Michelin Star Perks

By Emily on Business, Events

Business events in conference venues can be such dull affairs, so it’s no wonder that business leaders are looking for new ways to inspire their team and seek an alternative training venue or away day experience. One such innovative experience is pairing Michelin star food with a beautiful seaside venue to stimulate minds and focus.

The Carlton Hotel in North Devon is doing just this with its new Michelin business package offering which includes a fine dining evening with Thomas Carr at The Olive Room, the area’s only Michelin starred restaurant (see his exclusive interview below).

The author Bill Marsano, once wrote that, “The British Empire was created as a by-product of generations of desperate Englishmen roaming the world in search of a decent meal.”This was particularly true of British seaside towns which for many years were typified by menus that were high in sugar and fat and low in flavour and substance.

That was then, but things have changed dramatically in recent years. Now the British coast is speckled with small towns where culinary pearls are waiting to be discovered. This is particularly true for Ilfracombe, one of the most picturesque harbour towns on the West Country’s Atlantic coast and home to one of Devon’s most pleasant conference venues for hosting business events.

Business Events With a Difference

The Carlton is pushing the envelope with three unique two day businesspackages that combine business class luxury accommodation with top of the range training venue facilities (from on site meeting and seminar rooms to gym and treatments). The Carlton is one of the more exclusive Devon conference venues for business events – from team meetings and business workshops to training & development courses.

The Carlton Hotel’sMichelin Package, centred in Ilfracombe, sits neatly into this programme, offering a truly unique shared experience for office teams seeking an alternative training venue in North Devon.

For a restaurant, a Michelin star is the pinnacle of success and one that cannot be bought. The go-to guide for food quality began life in 1900 and was soon blazing a trail for the finest food to be found on its travels. The secretive nature of the world of the Michelin inspector was revealed to the New Yorker Magazine in 2009, which noted that ‘inspectors themselves are advised not to disclose their line of work, even to their parents’.

An interview with Michelin Star Chef, Thomas Carr

This is what Michelin Guide inspectors say about Thomas Carr at The Olive Room; “A simple, homely restaurant beneath a B&B, run by an experienced local chef who trained under Nathan Outlaw. Ultra-fresh seafood is the focus, with dishes only confirmed once the day boat deliveries come in. Cooking is skilled.”

So what can Carlton Hotel guests expect from the fine dining aspect of Michelin Package? We caught up with Thomas Carr to get his views on Ilfracombe, what makes the Olive Room so special and where his culinary inspiration comes from.

What is special about Ilfracombe as a place?

Well you only need to have a look around to see. You step out the front of the restaurant and you have a lovely view down Fore Street to the sea. It’s really at its best when the sun’s shining and everyone’s just enjoying a walk along the seafront. We’re also a special place for food! We’re the only place in Devon to have a Michelin Star and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. We’re punching above our weight for such a small town, but it’s brilliant.It’s not just about the Michelin level dining though. We also have the best chippies, fantastic local artisan producers and lots of quality restaurants.It’s a foodie haven.

What is special about the Olive Room fine dining experience?
I think for us, it’s always about making the food the star of the show. Our dining room is cosy and the service is relaxed. Our customers often comment on how they love how unpretentious the experience is. People expect a Michelin Starred restaurant to be a high class affair, but when we have such amazing ingredients to work with, we want to make sure they don’t get lost in an in-your-face Front of House service; we just want our guests to relax and enjoy themselves.

Where does inspiration for the Olive Room menu come from?

I think we are always inspired by the quality of the ingredients we have access too. When a beautiful fish comes into the kitchen we just want to do it justice. We offer chef’s tasting menus (and a la carte midweek), and it’s about keeping the tastes simple, not overloading the dish with unnecessary additional flavours, and showcasing the ingredients. That’s not to say that there aren’t some nice little hidden flavours amongst the dish though. As a chef I’m a bit of a grazer so I tend to pick at different ingredients and every now and then I’ll stumble across a combination of flavours which aren’t typically served together, but I can taste that they could work I’ll start trying to develop a dish from that.

With delegate prices starting at £119* per person per night (for a two night midweek business package stay), the Carlton Hotel in Ilfracombe offers one of the most unique Devon business venues and without doubt one of the most flavoursome! Please emailor telephone (01271 862446) to find out what the Carlton Hotel can bring to your business this year.

*Price based on 20+ delegates.