Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa has more than five star reasons to visit
About the venue
Originally built in the rolling valleys of Dartmoor National Park, Devon in 1907 for as a house Frederick Smith the son and heir of the Conservative politician and stationery magnate William Henry Smith of WH Smiths fame.
Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa now has 60 bedrooms along with 22 self-catering country lodges, tucked away within the estate’s woodland catering for 250 residential guests and more. The Castle also has a luxurious Elan Spa and award-winning 18-hole championship golf course by J F Abercromby.
It is an AA-rated 5-star hotel, which means that Bovey Castle offer luxury stays and top-notch amenities to travellers seeking a sophisticated and indulgent experience. The AA state:
‘The AA’s supreme accolade for hotels, regardless of size or type of operation. A hotel awarded red stars has been selected by the AA as one of the best hotels in the British Isles, offering excellent levels of quality throughout, outstanding levels of hospitality and service.’
More about AA-rating can be found here.
Bovey Castle say:
First opened as a hotel and golf resort in 1930 by Great Western Railways, Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa is now enjoyed by guests who fall in love with its imposing charm… the hotel is a great place for families, friends, couples and anyone looking to indulge in a relaxing, luxurious stay.
You can also enjoy fabulous food, including afternoon teas, relaxed dinners in Smith’s Brasserie, or private dining, as well as fine dining in the recently relaunched Great Western Grill.
Bovey Castle is a Grade 2 Listed five red star Hotel and AA accredited for exceptional hospitality.
The project
Sprint became part of the team and worked with Bovey Castle’s Hotel Management and staff, alongside Group Head of Property Steven Thornton from parent Company (The Rigby Group), with Leighton Matthews from Builtec Developments to move the process forward. Together, the team monitored time and budget, whilst minimising the disruption for the hotel’s operation.
The main kitchen was due for an upgrade, having had numerous product changes over the years.
Richard Hughes, Business Development Manager at Sprint Group, says:
“Originally, the intention with the kitchen refurbishment project was in 3 phases over a period of 2 years. Sprint produced initial drawings facilitating this, which were then discussed and the clients decided to carry out the works in one go by shutting down the main kitchen, stripping and refurbishing the infrastructure and fully installing the new kitchen – all within a three month period.”
Timeline
Sprint had been planning the kitchen with Executive Chef Mark Budd and the design team for many months and were able to manufacture and supply the kitchen within the timescale – having been given just 4 weeks’ notice of the change.
The Sprint team started on site with the strip-out in March 2023 with reopening set for late June 2023.
Thanks to Sprint’s Project Director Tony Dickinson and Project Manager David Judge, the relaunch went to plan.
Mark Budd, Executive Chef at Bovey Castle, says: “Working in tandem with the project team at Sprint, including the kitchen designers and installers, we’ve created a bespoke kitchen area that is perfect for our needs. The layout is designed to our exact requirements and it’s a pleasure working in the new environment.”
Bespoke design
Sprint designed a very functional, efficient, clean – all electric with induction – kitchen and have created a pleasant spacious working environment for the kitchen staff and waiting staff. There are designated areas within the kitchen for decanting boxes and checking on goods inwards, defined and well-segregated areas for food preparation and cooking. In addition, there is a 9-metre-long open pass, with adjustable lighting, to make the space feel open and clean.
Ian Bryant, Sprint Sales Director, says: “Central to the design was the cooking area, previously LPG and electric in the centre of the kitchen, was changed to a quality Charvet suite with multi-pan-zone induction, pot induction, strategically-placed ovens and fryers, and an innovative electric chargrill. Energy and labour efficiency and food quality were the keystones of the design. Raw-to-serve in defined routes makes the kitchen a pleasant place to work, whilst future-proofing the kitchen as business develops.”
The project
This kitchen will deliver the preparation and service of:
the 120 cover Great Western Grill,
20 cover Room Service,
50 cover Lodge Food Service,
20 cover fine dining,
The Tasting Room,
200 breakfast, and
the service associated with private functions.
The kitchen operates daily from 6am-11pm and, in addition, although Smith Brasserie has its own kitchen, some mise en place is provided by the main kitchen.
The solutions-focused result
There is a separate defined area for Room Service, with its own preparation space and tray storage,
plus a Still Room, with its own pass for larger functions, and
an independent glasswashing area to allow the area to function separately from the main kitchen. High performance Gio glasswashers from Meiko were chosen in this space, so that the glasswashing result would be a streak-free waterspot-free glass.
The original wash-up area was inefficient and ‘space greedy’, so by moving the area back to the wall – and with careful design of the tabling, plus choosing a 90-degree rack conveyor dishwasher from Meiko – the area has been much-improved.
The large pass and the use of Rational combination ovens, together with a pressure iVario multipan cooker, means that multiple functions can be catered for. This, combined with better and more space-effective refrigeration means that starters can be prepared ahead of time and there is the availability of using ‘cook-in advance techniques’ with the blast chiller and plate trolleys.
A Winterhalter undercounter pan wash machine has been incorporated into the pot wash area to give an additional dimension to pan washing and sanitising. The area now occupies a space formerly used as an office, with direct access to the cooking area.
The refurbished Pastry Section includes marble tops, its own storage and specific equipment and is remote from the heat-generating areas, which should allow the Pâtissiers to be at their creative best.
Ross Ryan, Director at Sprint Group, says: “This partnership has delivered a fantastic outcome within the high-end hotel market and I am really proud of the bespoke solution we delivered with the Bovey team. I would like to share my appreciation for the collaborative approach taken to ensure that this project was a success.”
The collaborative approach
The team included Sprint’s designers, estimators, project managers and project team who delivered a truly bespoke design for the greatest solution. We worked closely with the Bovey Castle team to produce a significantly more effective kitchen with innovative and dynamic results.
Mark E Chambers, Eden Hotel Group Managing Director: “We appreciate the experience and support received by the Sprint Group team and their ability to accommodate our needs when creating a tailored kitchen to meet the demands of our business going forward. Together with Sprint, we’ve created an exciting space at Bovey Castle that is to our specification and delivered on time and in budget. The challenges were dealt with proactively and the team at Sprint, including David Judge and Tony Dickinson, have been great to work with.”
A truly collaborative approach to this standout project, means our sincere thanks go to:
Charvet – cooking island suite
Colsec – coldrooms
Concept – ventilation
EAIS – shelving and racking
GKF – fabrication
Goslyn – grease and solid interception
Hatco – specialised lighting and hot holding
Hobart – mixing and pastry
Marco – undercounter water boilers
Mechline – hand sink taps fly killers
Meiko – dish and glass washing
Oxford Hardware – pass lighting
Rational – combi ovens and ivario
Sammic – vacuum packaging
Simply – stainless Ingredient Storage
Spoon 2 – fire suppression systems
Soho – waste bins
Uropa – plate carts
Williams – refrigeration
Winterhalter – pan washing
Contact us
Please contact the Sprint team directly if you’d like to know more or want to discuss your own individual project(s).
More about Bovey Castle can be found here.
Photo credits – Will Dolphin Photography.
