Roam the grounds of Birch, Hertfordshire with a drink in hand

Guests at Birch in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, can wander from tipi to poolside to barbecue pit, drink in hand. Will Gonzaga, head of food and drink, tells how the hotel manages its free-range diners

Tell me about your role at Birch and what kind of spaces you look after

I joined Birch in June 2020 as part of the events team. I come from a contract catering background, but when Covid restrictions were lifted it was all hands on deck and I was asked to jump in and help with operations.

My role is to support the culinary team. At the hotel we have 55 acres that are home to an outdoor tipi; Valeries, which is our bistro-style, all-day dining restaurant; Links Bar, which serves a bar and snacks menu; and the Zebra Riding Club, which serves high-end tasting menus. We also have the lido, which we’re planning to reopen for summer.

What does the drinks offering look like at Birch’s outdoor bars?

We have a partnership with drinks brand Mirabeau and it has a bar in the lido where we offer rosé and Mirabeau rose gin. Last year we had a couple of beers on draught too but the volume was insane so, learning from last season, we’ll now be offering local beers in cans.

We also have the Casamigos tequila bar serving frozen margaritas. The plan for the tipi is to offer pizza and antipasti, so there will be aperitives as well. We need to think about the guest journey: if someone is sat by the pool, what will they want? Drinking rosé or frozen Margaritas by the pool is something everyone enjoys, but indoors that maybe wouldn’t work.

The setup at Birch is very relaxed – how do you take into account that people might move around with their drinks?

We operate so that guests are free to roam. They can grab a bottle of something and sit down by the meadow and hang out. We have a team that works across the grounds to collect rubbish, as well as a ground team for the farm. We’re also doubling the size of the bar at the tipi and putting more teams in place.

We also have barbecues – previously diners could only pre-book their food option, but this year they can also choose a drinks package. Guests can have a couple of cans of rosé, a bottle of cocktails from Black Lines or a bucket of beers, so when they arrive at their private barbecue pit they have their drinks there already – we also have a team dedicated to looking after the barbecues.

And in turn, how do you train staff to deal with such a large offering?

It’s on a weekly basis. The staff are very young and especially when you’re outside of London as Birch is, there isn’t that talent pool. Since the pandemic the majority of the experienced bartenders and waiters are gone, so we need to train the teams on a daily basis.

Any advice to someone looking to extend their outdoor drinks offering?

Last year we tried to do so much and realised that we needed to optimise and simplify everything. You don’t need five reds and five whites – it’s quality not quantity. Think about what will sell the most and consider how to optimise sales. We’ve also changed some drinks from bottles to kegs to make it more sustainable and optimise service.

Seasonal food & drink pairing: Bolney Estate Pinot Gris 2019 and asparagus

We are heading into English asparagus season, so it fits to pair the beautiful spring vegetable with an English wine. Sussex’s Bolney Estate Pinot Gris 2019 exhibits pear, honeysuckle and citrus flavours with a medium body able to support but not overpower the mighty asparagus.