Southend-on-Sea's Seven hotel to open next month

The Seven hotel is set to open with a former British Culinary Foundation (BCF) Chef of the Year overseeing the kitchen.

Following a £4m investment, the new four-storey, 37-bedroom luxury boutique hotel will open on 4 January on Clifton Terrace in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, overlooking the seafront.

The hotel's 70-cover Aurum restaurant, overseen by head chef Simon Webb, and its adjoining gin-centric bar will be the focal point of the hotel, serving modern British cuisine with an emphasis on Essex suppliers and producers.

Webb was BCF Chef of the Year 2012, is captain of the English Culinary Team, was a finalist at National Chef of the Year 2018, and was previously head chef for Private Dining by Roux at the Langham hotel in London.

Dishes at the restaurant will include wild turbot, smoked celeriac, cockles and seaweed; and ‘Essex bird', black garlic, cepes and endive.

The hotel is owned by first-time hotel owners Jawed Rashid and his sons-in-law Sadiq Chikte and Omar Rahimi, and will be independently operated. Rashid bought the property, a former care home, in 2013.

Appleby is the principal architect and GMD oversaw construction, while Adam Tibbatts designed the "contemporary" interior of the property, which will feature iridescent metallic hues with tones of sea green, polished brass and marble.

Every bedroom will be different in shape and size, and the fourth floor will offer five luxury suites, each with their own living areas, wet rooms with rain showers, sliding French windows and terrace.

Nightly rates will start from £100.

Care home in Southend to be transformed into £2.5m hotel >>

National Chef of the Year 2018 finalists named >>

English National Team wins gold in Culinary Olympics >>

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