Many large hotel chains like to centralise their menus. It makes it easier to maintain quality control and there are cost advantages to be had from centralised buying. The downside, particularly for the customer, is that every menu in each of the different hotels looks the same. Not too put too fine a point on it, it is boring.
At Macdonald Hotels, they take a different approach. With 45 properties throughout the UK, Macdonald Hotels are the country’s largest independently owned hotel chain and they like to give their chefs plenty of free reign to use local produce and put their own stamp on their menus.
If you read the 5pm Dining blog’s Chewin’ the Fat interview with John Maltby, Head Chef of Acanthus restaurant at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel, then you would get a flavour of what that autonomy can mean.
Fresh and local
Macdonald Hotels group Executive Chef Keith Shearer explains his food philosophy thus:
‘Our approach to food is straightforward; by sourcing the freshest ingredients available and working with exceptionally talented chefs and staff that understand food, we are able to create dishes that people really want.
‘Menus that blend the finest, freshest local ingredients with the best local talent makes for the perfect meal.’
At Macdonald Houstoun House Hotel, near Edinburgh, Head Chef Jonathan Greer likes to forage in the hotel grounds for ingredients to use in the two AA Rosette Jeremy Wares Restaurant. The video shows Jonathan scouting the area around the hotel for chickweed and wild strawberries.
‘It’s good to go out and pick local produce,’ he reckons. ‘I think the customers like it as well if they are coming up the drive and can see the chefs foraging in the woods. It underlines the idea of using local and seasonal produce. It also makes guests more engaged with the menu if they see sweet cicely or chickweed on it.’
Rose hip to wild sorrel
Depending on the season, Jonathan might find himself foraging for wild sorrel, dandelion leaves, elderflower, sweet cicely, wild leeks, rose hip or chanterelles. It’s quite an array but, for Jonathan, one ingredient stands out above the others.
‘When I first started in Houstoun House about five months ago, the wild garlic was just coming into season and you could smell it as your drove into work. It was amazing. At the start of the season, you can use the leaves. Later on, you can use the flowers and stems as a salad garnish. Right now, all the seed pods are out. We gather them, wash them, dry them in a dehydrator and then grind them into a powder which we use to season roast lamb or beef.’
Big Deals with Macdonald Hotels
The 5pm Big Deal regularly runs offers on dining and accommodation at the Macdonald hotels in Scotland.
You can browse them by typing ‘Macdonald’ into the search box at the top of this page.
For example, at the moment, there is an offer for two people to have an overnight stay in a feature room at Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa in North Berwick.
The offer includes a set three course dinner; full Scottish breakfast; cream tea; full use of leisure facilities + 20% discount off all pre-booked spa treatments.
