Niall Keating introduces new menus at Whatley Manor

The informal restaurant at Whatley Manor, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, has been relaunched as Grey's Brasserie following the arrival of Niall Keating as executive chef of the five-red-AA-star, 23-bedroom hotel last month.

A new menu featuring casual, British comfort food has been introduced into the 50-seat restaurant, previously known as Le Mazot, with a full refurbishment of the Swiss chalet style eaterie planned for August. Sous chef George Dingle has supported Keating in designing the menu.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, Grey's Brasserie now offer the likes of smoked mussels on toast, braised beef cheek with parsnip and bok choy, and English custard tart with nutmeg and blackcurrant sorbet.

Meanwhile, the menu in the Dining Room, which won two Michelin stars under former executive chef Martin Burge in 2010, has also been overhauled, with the introduction of dishes that mix the contemporary with the classics, and the occasional Asian influence.

The Dining Room, open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, now offers a tasting menu of 12 small courses for £99 or £169 with matching wines. Previously, it offered a seven-course menu for £110 (£186 with wine).

The new menu includes spiced cracker, sesame, lime; oyster, seaweed mignonette; chicken fat custard, tamari, caviar; brown butter, buttermilk; mackerel, preserved raspberry, greens; tortellini, black; ‘risotto', chorizo, raw scallop; cod, chicken broth, fermented turnip; aged beef loin, lettuce, pomme purée, red wine; salted rhubarb, umeshu, shiso; and chocolate, caramel, crème fraiche.

Keating's arrival at Whatley Manor has reunited the chef with Sue Williams, who arrived at the hotel as general manager, last September. He joined the Bath Priory, where Williams was general manager, in 2010 as commis chef and within two years worked his way up to sous chef. Since 2013, Keating has worked at Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, Benu in San Francisco and Restaurant Kong Hans Kaelder in Copenhagen.

Williams said: "I knew from day one in Bath that Niall had a special talent, and we stayed in contact as he developed his skills around the world. His energy, creativity, enthusiasm and fresh approach are perfectly suited to Whatley Manor as the hotel enters a new phase."

Whatley manor is owned by Swiss equestrian rider Christian Landolt and his mother Alix.

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