Beaverbrook opens the House with Japanese restaurant

The most significant phase of the £90m transformation of the former Surrey home of media magnate and politician Lord Beaverbrook into a luxury country house hotel and exclusive golf club has opened today with a Japanese restaurant at its helm.

Located at the heart of a 400 acre estate, near Leatherhead, the 18-bedroom, Grade II-listed House at Beaverbrook, joins the 11-bedroom Garden House which opened with a restaurant and cookery school in October 2016. The club house for the 18-hole golf course, designed by five-times Open winner Tom Watson and architect David McLay Kidd, also launched last year.

The Japanese focus of the Dining Room is led by head chef Taiji Maruyama, who joined the hotel in May after launching Kiru restaurant in Mayfair, London, as executive chef patron in 2013. He previously worked at Nobu, initially as sushi chef in London and then as executive sous chef in the brand’s restaurant in Monaco.

Many of the ingredients on the menu are grown on the estate’s kitchen garden. Dishes will include Beaverbrook garden salad â€" shisho dressing and crunchy shallots; classic sushi and nigari; koji halibut with watercress, pink pepper, yuzu soy and sesame oil; and smoked Josper grilled lamb cutlets, sweet onion, sesame, soy and chilli.

The Main House also features the Parrot bar with head barman Rafael Sanchez, previously at the Marbella Club, at the helm, a private dining room for 16 guests and an outdoor terrace with views over the Surrey hills.

Susie Atkinson, who has previously worked on Soho House & Co’s Babington House and Dean Street Town House, has overseen Beaverbrook’s interior design. Meanwhile, the gardens have been re-designed by Richard Bisgrove, a leading expert on the late Britiish horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll.

Originally built between 1866 and 1870 for wool manufacturer Abraham Dixon, the French chateaux-style mansion was acquired when it was known as Cherkley Court in 1911 by Lord Beaverbrook. During his 50 year ownership, the property entertained a host of political, literary and society figures including Sir Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Rudyard Kipling, Ian Fleming and Elizabeth Taylor. The bedrooms are named after these and other guests.

Beaverbrook was bought by Joel Cadbury and Ollie Vigors of Longshot, with Tim Edwards and Ian Todd in 2011. Shareholders include tennis players Andy Murray and Tim Henman.

Hotel manager is Andrew Spearman who joined the property from Domaine de Manville in Provence, south of France, where he was general manager for two and half years. Chief operating officer Justin Pinchbeck, who left in June, is yet to be replaced.

Room rates range from £225 for a classic room to £950 for the dowager suite.

Beaverbrook appoints Andrew Spearman as hotel manager >>

Justin Pinchbeck to leave Beaverbrook as chief operating officer >>

First phase of luxury hotel Beaverbrook now open >>

Cherkley Court luxury hotel plans to continue >>
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