A restaurant that pays homage to Winston Churchill is opening in Yorkshire

Chartwell promises to bring the glamour of the 1940s to life and takes its name from the war time Prime Minister’s country home.

The 24-cover restaurant will open in the north Yorkshire luxury hotel following a £3m investment. It will be headed up in the kitchen by Chris O’Callaghan, who previously worked at The Fat Duck, Midsummer House, and Gravetye Manor, and who has created a menu of British food with a contemporary twist inspired by Auguste Escoffier.

Chartwell will serve seven and ten course tasting menus - priced at £95 and £130 respectively - named after Churchill’s preferred champagne Pol Roger and his love of cigars. Pol and Roger are the names of two of the first tasting menus available, along with cigar-inspired Romeo and Julieta.

Dishes on the menus include aged Yorkshire beef, caviar, smoked eel, and celeriac; barbequed scallop, cauliflower, grape, bisque; and passion fruit curd, mango, marigold.

There will also be a vegetarian option including dishes such as roast Yorkshire leek, truffle, artichoke, and grape; and parmesan kuzu dumplings, broad bean, and tomato dashi.

The Churchill theme runs throughout the restaurant, which will have a wine tasting room called Clem, named after Churchill’s wife Clementine, and a private dining room located on a mezzanine floor overlooking the main restaurant named Pinafore after one of the private event rooms at The Savoy where Churchill founded his renowned The Other Club.

Aldwark Manor Estate has strong links with World War II as it was requisitioned by the Home Office at the start of the war to provide accommodation for the Canadian Air Force.

“Chartwell encapsulates the essence of Sir Winston Churchill’s remarkable legacy, offering a dining experience that is both timeless and unforgettable,” says estate director Christopher Gitton.

“Sir Winston Churchill rallied the British people and led the country from the brink of defeat to victory, so coupled with the estate’s connection to the second world war, it seemed fitting to name our new restaurant after his treasured home in Kent.”

Chartwell will join Aldwark Manor Estate’s existing restaurants, Elements and Bunkers, and the Squadron Bar when it opens on 8 May.