Bruisyard Hall: Interview with the Chef

Bruisyard Hall is a wonderful venue what do you like most about working there?

I was blown away by the beauty of Bruisyard Hall at first sight. I love how picturesque and tranquil it is. The gardens are so neat and perfectly kept.  I love that it’s a family business and that the family feel runs through the whole team, from Robert and Teresa Rous (the owners) to Serena (our Events manager) and me, right through to the front of house team. We all feel like Bruisyard is ours and we want people to love everything about!

How would you describe the style of food you offer?

We are flexible. It’s all about delighting our guests with their type of food. We keep everything as local and seasonal as possible and present it elegantly without pretention.

Is the catering flexible to each individual party?

Our catering is completely tailored to our guests preferences. Before any food is served we do a tasting for the guests to let them try the proposed menu. Although most go for a British menu, we’ve recently done tastings for Turkish, Italian and Nigerian themed events and they have all gone very well. I love experimenting with different influences and my team is skilled in the delivery of a range of cuisines. We’ve not yet been given a challenge we can’t meet.

Do you like to use local produce?

Of course! We are blessed with amazing local produce in Suffolk and it would be a shame not to celebrate that. All of our meat and dry goods come from Cleveleys which is about 10 miles from Bruisyard. It’s another independent family business and we have a shared love of quality food and great service. They are fabulous to work with. We often get compliments on how good the meat is.

Our fish comes from Danny Porter at Scaled Up. He’s a very reliable one man army who delivers us the freshest fish every day. Nothing is too much hassle for Danny.

When people hire the country house, do you cook for them?

Guests can take the Hall on a self-catering basis though most prefer to sit back and let me and my team cook for them. We offer a range of options from 3-course meals, where the menu is written specifically for the occasion, to a lunch buffet or a self-service meal that we drop off. It’s completely flexible and can be organised to fit with whatever our guests want.

Do you offer corporate events and activities?

Bruisyard Hall is doing more and more corporate events. We offer away days at the Hall and training and conferencing in the Barn.

We also cater drinks parties with a wide range of beautiful canapes. We can do this at Bruisyard Hall or Barn or at the client’s chosen venue.

For more information please visit www.bruisyardhall.com or contact Serena Beddoes on 01728 639 000.