This eighteenth century Baronial Mansion, located on the shores of the idyllic Loch Lomond and set in one hundred acres of wooded parkland, is one of the De Vere Deluxe resorts. Renowned for its spectacular setting, hospitality and extensive leisure facilities the hotel has undergone a £60 million transformation including the refurbishment of the hotel's main restaurant 'The Cameron Grill.'

Vision Commercial Kitchens worked directly with Cameron House hotel and Director of Food Keith Shearer to design, build and project manage the installation of the new kitchen and unique butchery room. The project presented a huge opportunity and challenge for Vision.

Vision were involved throughout the planning process - normally the hotel would define the desired ambiance and overall strategy but Vision and Cameron House worked together all through the project. Together they produced a plan that was passed by the directors of De Vere. The restaurant design is stylish yet informal, with an emphasis on fresh produce.  The open kitchen and butchery create the desired theatrical dining atmosphere.

Originally the kitchen was situated where the private dining room is currently however it had to be moved in order to achieve all the benefits desired by the hotel. It wasn't possible to create the open kitchen aspect and butchery room with glass window in the original space, therefore the decision was taken to move the kitchen and judging by the finished design this was definitely the right decision. Due to the nature of the building and the location of the restaurant within the hotel much of the equipment had to be brought in through the hotel roof however with Vision on hand to coordinate, the process ran extremely smoothly.

Due to the open kitchen feature Cameron House didn't want the standard gas oven so once all the bases had been covered they went for the oldest form of cooking with the 'Josper Grill'. This is a full charcoal oven with no supplementary gas supply; in fact there is no gas in the restaurant kitchen which is part of a deliberate effort to reduce the Carbon footprint.  Vision have been mindful of the environmental impact of all the equipment throughout the specification process.

The open layout of the kitchen along with the self cleaning extraction system creates a pleasant working environment for the chefs to work in “All the things we set out to achieve we have done and with a huge input from Vision; they found solutions to all the challenges we faced which was excellent” commented Keith Shearer, Director of Food.

The design aspect of the open hot plate was especially important as it means the hotel can offer buffet breakfasts and light buffet lunches for corporate groups whilst at the same time
offering a full plated option at breakfast for those guests who want to be served. The open hot plate allows interaction with the chef and the guest, which is fantastic; the chefs are there to answer any culinary questions, bringing chef and customer closer together. The double doors that go through from the restaurant into the kitchen are wider than required but it allows guests to be invited through to the kitchen and enjoy a glass of champagne and canapés off the back hotplate.

The butchery room concept can be seen in a few areas around the world such as New York but rarely in this country. The idea is to really let guests know the hotel is proud of what's being served. The supplier likes it as his products are on display and the guests are served the best quality meat and you have total traceability. The flexibility is amazing and it's not just a gimmick.  It's very practical too. Vision used privalight glass which gives the hotel the flexibility to choose when they allow guests to see into the room at the touch of a button. Therefore at breakfast the room can be glazed over but then visible again for dinner.

Given the outstanding success of the project it is no surprise that Vision are already working on a further two kitchen refurbishments at Cameron House Hotel.

Vision have already received recognition for their work at Cameron House Hotel winning the 'Sustainability' award at the CEDA Grand Prix Awards 2008. The Sustainability award recognises the efforts to reduce carbon emissions along with other ways of reducing the use of natural resources.

The Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, a luxury hotel set in the 200 acre former home of the Duke of Bridgewater, has carried out an extensive refurbishment of its restaurant 'The Dining Rooms'.  Working directly with Marriott, it demonstrates Vision's continuing and impressive work in the Hotel and Leisure sector.

What is your role at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel?

Due to the scale of the project at the hotel I was brought in specifically as the food and drink project manager. My main responsibility was to manage the whole project including the refurbishment of the restaurant. This involved working closely with the hotel manager and head chef to develop the new concept as well as seeing it through refurbishment.

How did you get Vision involved in the project?

Initially Vision had been sourced by Ian Lomas our Director of Engineering; he had worked with them previously so when I joined the team Vision were already involved and had come up with some really original ideas so I took it from there.  They were completely responsible for the design and installation of the island buffet counter and two mobile ambient display units - a key part of the restaurant refurbishment.

So Vision were involved in the planning process as well as the installation?

We actually worked very closely together; it was myself and Vision who came up with the design of the area. As a result we now have a central island whereas before it was more of an 'L' shaped design. We wanted something much more contemporary but still in keeping with the look and feel of the hotel. Vision were heavily involved in the both the planning and the installation and their experience has proven to be invaluable.

What were you trying to achieve with the refurbishment?

Previously the restaurant had a very rustic feel with solid oak beams but we wanted to create a more contemporary British feel with hard wood floors, and a focus on locally sourced produce. We were keen to ensure the island buffet counter fitted in with that concept rather than just having the buffet in the back corner. The idea was to bring it into the forefront of the restaurant to create a focal point that was aesthetically pleasing and one that the chef could be involved with. With the central buffet area the chef is now facing the guests as they walk in and we have the mobile display units to create movable islands. The island design and mobile units prevent bottle necks so during
busy periods we get away from having one long queue at the buffet and have stations where guests can wander around and choose their food.

Is the buffet area used regularly?

The area is used daily at breakfast time, again if we have conferences at lunch and we also use the area for the Sunday carvery so it's used quite heavily. We also had the idea to host live cooking demonstrations with chefs in the evening as the area is perfect.  Due to the design of the restaurant it is possible to close off certain areas.  The chefs private dining area works really well. Then behind the central island we have refrigerated units and additional storage space. We have two induction hobs for the omelette breakfast which are multipurpose as we are also able to fit the carvery units in for Sunday lunch. The central island provides storage and refrigeration as well as hand wash stations, so from the chefs point of view it's really practical and flexible but at the same time it's great in terms of environmental health.

At Mal Liverpool, Malmaison has taken the unusual step of opening a purpose-built hotel rather than converting a historic building - which gave Executive Chef Keith Shearer and Vision the opportunity to design a kitchen from scratch.

"Being a new build, we didn't have to build around structural elements or squeeze equipment into spaces that weren't designed for kitchens," Keith explains, "so we essentially started with a blank piece of paper. We could design the whole kitchen in a rectangle - which for Malmaison made a refreshing change!" Keith compares this with the Oxford Mal where he and Vision had to shoehorn a commercial kitchen into the basement of a converted castle with its six-foot thick walls and narrow doors.

Keith and Vision work together on the design of every kitchen in the Malmaison Group: "Every chef has their own design ideas, but for me it's about creating a kitchen that's suited to a restaurant, even though we are a restaurant kitchen within a hotel. It's all about flow, from goods receiving to food production to the actual service. Vision and I will sit down and discuss the aspects of the kitchen, all the elements that are important to me. Vision are very open and it's good to work with professionals who take it all on board even though they're going to have their own preferences. Our kitchens are professional, heavy-duty kitchens but we try and make the environment as good a place to work as possible. This helps retain staff and lifts the mood. For example, we invest in the top-of-the range extraction and air flow system to help with the temperature - you can't buy a better one. At Liverpool the equipment is up to the same standard as in all our kitchens except we've added a wood-burning pizza oven which adds another option to room service and the brasserie menu."

Keith has also installed a chef's table in the kitchen for guests who want to get in on the action. "People are more interested than ever in what goes on behind the swing doors and this table is for people who really want to experience the atmosphere of the busy kitchen. The hotel also features a number of private dining rooms for up to ten people.
"We have created a private dining 'in the kitchen' room for the more technological diners. Via a live 'chef-cam' diners can witness their meals being created in a vibrant and lively kitchen environment. This is shown on a large plasma screen in the dining room, screening all aspects of the kitchen and how it all works, it's even wired for sound so the chefs will have to mind their language. It's a unique concept and having the kitchen on view to customers meant that the design of the kitchen was crucial."

Hotel Terravina in the heart if the idyllic New Forrest is the Vision of Gerard Basset, co-founder of Hotel Du Vin and his wife Nina. Months have been spent carefully renovating the hotel which boasts an open kitchen and extensive wine cellars, all adding to the overall experience. Nina and Gerard not only possess extensive restaurant expertise but Gerard is a well recognised wine specialist holding Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and the Wine MBA title.

Nina Basset
Hotel Founder

What is your role at Hotel Terravina?

My role early on was to manage the whole building stage and the refurbishment, I was here every day for the seven month project overseeing what went on with the building and ensuring I was here to make decisions. Hand in hand with that I was the person who looked after the design of the hotel from the view of what it would look like when finished. We didn’t use an interior designer it was just my ideas and subsequently now we have opened I'm here every day along with Gerard Basset my husband, working side by side with the team of staff. I am very hands on and get involved with the day to day running of the hotel.

Gerard is a wine specialist, did this impact on the design hotel?
The range of wines and Gerard's wine expertise are the hotels unique selling points because at the moment he is the only person in the world to have a master’s sommelier, master of wine and the wine MBA title. Gerard has won awards at a number of international sommelier competitions. Aside from all the other aspects of the hotel we are very much trying to market ourselves as being ideal for business and ideal for people coming from anywhere in the country, a destination hotel for weekend breaks and aside from that we are most definitely a hotel for wine lovers. The wine list here is eclectic and is exceptionally good value for money plus you get Gerard thrown into the package, he will chat to customers about wine with a huge amount of knowledge and passion. We have two very visually appealing wine cellars, with some very interesting wines to be had.

How did you first come to work with Vision?
Through our architect, whom we'd worked with on previous occasions through Hotel Du Vin co- founded thirteen years ago by my husband Gerard. He recommended Vision as a really good kitchen design company who can truly deliver the goods; describing them as a fantastic company to work with and really understand where you're coming from. Vision came down for a meeting and Gerard and I just liked them from the minute we met them, they really understood what we were trying to achieve. Vision understood that there were budgetary constraints and that we wanted to do the best we possibly could with the money we had available plus we had two kitchens to equip so that made it slightly more complicated. One of them is a bold separated kitchen at the back of the hotel and the other is very much an all singing all dancing front display kitchen. Vision understood the importance of one kitchen being very practical and the other being practical whilst aesthetically stylish; we just thought this is the company that's going to really deliver what we require. After having met Vision it wasn't a hard decision to make.

Malmaison's daring new Hotel in Oxford is an ambitious conversion of a once derelict former prison. The prison itself was originally adapted from Oxford Castle which pre-dates the Norman conquest of 1066.

Keith Shearer, Executive Chief of both the Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin Hotel chains, was responsible for the hotel's new kitchens which were to be housed in unique and macabre location - the prison's former hanging pit.

Trying to design and install a commercial kitchen in any converted building can be difficult at the best of times, but working in an ancient castle must have been a unique experience?

"The whole project was overseen by English heritage, so when the main contractors were excavating the site, every time they came across some ancient relic, artefact or - as happened quite often - human bones, English Heritage sent a little boffin with a microscope and a toothbrush to painstakingly remove it. We had to be really sensitive to the fact that the site dates back over a thousand years."

The fabric of the building itself can't have been easy to deal with either?

"The fact is that we were turning a prison into a hotel, and just trying to create a practical kitchen environment within a site that was never really meant to have that. The walls are four feet thick and the doorways just two feet six wide so Vision had some real logistical issues to deal with. The kitchens' stove is about twelve feet long by six feet deep and the only way to get it in was by craning it through the roof during the build, then covering it in plastic until the builders finished"