Hotel Cateys 2024: Hotel Chef of the Year (more than 250 covers) – Sarah Frankland, Pennyhill Park

Sarah Frankland has some remit. She leads a team of 56 chefs servicing food outlets at Pennyhill Park, including the 50-cover Lily Pond Terrace, 14-cover Hillfield restaurant, conference and banqueting rooms for up to 280 guests and a breakfast service for 260 in-house residents.

She was appointed executive chef at Pennyhill Park in 2022, having been promoted from head pastry chef at the Exclusive Collection property. When she took on the role she inherited a kitchen structure based on a traditional hierarchy, with each of the four kitchens working in isolation. Having analysed the skillsets of each team and re-structured the resource, her approach not only created a culture of collaboration, but also facilitated a better work-life balance for the chefs.

Frankland then focused on driving increased sales through creating innovative menus, such as a new poolside menu for the summer season that generated a 59% increase in year-on-year food sales, as well as bookable outdoor dining spaces with a new wood-fired menu.

She also put increased focus on Sunday lunch, establishing Hillfield’s Sunday Feast,  which celebrated the produce of Pennyhill Park’s local community of farmers. Her efforts certainly paid off, with revenues doubling from April to July 2024 compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, informed by her previous role as head pastry chef, Frankland amended the previously year-round banqueting menus to offer more seasonal choices. This has not only given extra choice to customers, it also reduced the hotel’s impact on the environment while supporting its local farming community, in turn improving cost control.

One such client is the Rugby Football Union, with whom Frankland collaborated to create a balanced menu, offering alternative ingredients, a more dynamic plant-based protein option and minimising food waste while maintaining nutritional requirements.

All of this could not be achieved without the support of her team. As well as improving their culinary knowledge, technical ability and craft, she supports them in their career aspirations by developing their leadership, commercial, strategic and people skills. Thanks to her encouragement, 11 team members have been promoted, including a colleague who joined as a kitchen porter in 2016 and has since risen through the ranks to become head pastry chef.

This dedication to education has extended beyond the hotel, too, and Frankland plays an active part with the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Graduate Awards, where she mentored four chefs from her team to achieve the accolade, as well as working alongside Steve Munkley as chair of the judges on the Pastry Graduate Awards.

Frankland also joined the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in 2023, having supported its Annual Awards of Excellence and Adopt A School programme for many years.

Frankland’s impact across Pennyhill Park’s culinary output meant she was a unanimous choice of the judges.

What the judges said

“Sarah is not only a role model for her team, but for our industry; promoting co-operation, communication and progressive working practices. A deserved winner.”

Chris King