Glasshouse Restaurant at The Grove re-opens after refurbishments

The Grove, the five-star hotel and golf experience in Hertfordshire, has officially re-opened its doors of the newly refurbished, The Glasshouse, following significant investment to dramatically update the space.

The Glasshouse has received an exhaustive renovation by the award-winning Martin Hulbert Design – the studio which has also been responsible for The Grove's interior design since the hotel first opened, and to much praise. With over 25 years' design experience, Martin has completed a wide range of hotel and residential projects around the world that have been significantly applauded, and he regularly features in 'Top 50 interior designers' lists.

Strikingly redesigned, The Glasshouse sits at the heart of The Grove, and offers an outstanding, luxurious yet fun experience, inspired by food-hall style dining. For a set price, diners are invited to sample a variety of dishes celebrating international flavours, fresh produce and the talents of a team of specialist chefs.

Executive Head Chef, Stephen Wheeler, launched The Glasshouse when the hotel opened just over 15 years ago. Now, having spent many years overseas gaining widespread international experience, he has returned to the helm of The Glasshouse to re-open an elevated, contemporary restaurant.

Having lived in Asia for several years, leading some of the best restaurants including Six Senses Laamu, Constance Moofushi and The Sun Siyam Irufushi, Wheeler has drawn upon his experience from the region's focus on fresh, seasonal produce to introduce a range of new dishes and cooking techniques to provide diners at The Glasshouse with a huge range of options.

Live cooking stations invite guests to watch the chefs in action as they prepare food to order. The Glasshouse caters to all palates and preferences, with fantastic freshness and quality. There is an extensive range of meat and fish options, whilst vegetarian and vegan guests are very well catered for, too, as well as plenty of options for children.

Stephen Wheeler, Executive Head Chef at The Grove, commented: "It brings me great pleasure to oversee the relaunch of The Glasshouse, and we couldn't be more excited to showcase this new, innovative dining experience to guests. We've introduced so many new cooking stations and methods, as it was crucial to us that we provide guests with a fantastic range of options at a superior quality. It's an interactive and fun way of eating."

Within the newly refurbished The Glasshouse, is also the new The Glasshouse Bar, which sits in its original location, but with a new addition of a glass extension connecting it to the terraces and garden. Guests are invited to relax in the bar area ahead of dining in The Glasshouse restaurant or to simply enjoy drinks overlooking the garden terrace and admiring the uniquely designed interiors.

With an overarching Garden to Glass concept for the cocktails, The Glasshouse Bar also offers a wide choice of carefully sourced spirits, beers and wines, with the intention of operating a zero-waste policy wherever possible. The drinks menu features a diverse range of cocktails using locally sourced ingredients, utilising the rich flora and fauna found in The Grove's Walled Garden.

The Glasshouse is open for breakfast (7 - 10.30am), lunch (12.30 - 2pm) and dinner (6 - 9.30pm), as well as afternoon tea in The Glasshouse Bar (1.30 - 4.30pm). Lunch starts at £42 per person, with dinner from £49 per person.

For more information about The Grove, please visit: http://www.thegrove.co.uk or call 0044 1923 296010.

About The Grove:
Set in 300 acres of verdant Hertfordshire countryside, The Grove is just 18 miles from central London and offers the ultimate five-star retreat. Lovingly restored, it is the former home of the Earls of Clarendon, with a rich history dating back to the 1500s. In addition to 215 luxurious guest rooms, The Grove features the award-winning Sequoia spa, a championship golf course, three unique restaurants, a Kitchen Garden, and outdoor pool and ‘beach’ area, plus a wide selection of meeting and event spaces.

About Executive Head Chef Stephen Wheeler:
After launching The Glasshouse when The Grove opened 15 years ago, Chef Stephen has returned to reclaim the helm of the hotel's culinary offering. In his years away from The Grove, Stephen – who was trained by Terence Conran at Bluebird – travelled the world and held positions in leading culinary establishments, from Dubai to Australia.

He spent 10 years in the Maldives where he opened Six Senses Laamu, before joining Constance Moofushi and The Sun Siyam Irufushi. While based in the Maldives, he had the opportunity to travel extensively across Asia, from Thailand to China, where he saw the incredible success of the luxury food hall concept. This, combined with his experience overseeing 25 restaurants at luxury department store Harrods, was the inspiration behind the concept of The Glasshouse.

Stephen’s time spent in Asia has unquestionably had a big impact on his approach to cooking today, which centres around the freshest ingredients and produce that is simple but packs a punch. The breadth of restaurants Chef has worked at, and the varying culinary traditions he has experienced, has hugely inspired his delivery of the new Glasshouse menus – which are diverse, rich with flavour and unique – without being overly fussy.