Castle Hotel News
OPENING 6th JUNE 2012 - CASTLE BOW BAR & GRILL
Our big news story this summer is the opening of our new restaurant, Castle Bow Bar & Grill. A retro-chic new dining space that promises to be cool, informal & stylish with a delicious menu of seasonal dishes - both à la carte and fixed price. We think you'll love it! Read Kit's blog.
Marc Mac Closkey New General Manager of The Castle and BRAZZ
We are delighted to announce that Marc Mac Closkey will be taking up his position as General Manager at The Castle on Monday, 9th January 2012.
Battersea 120 event
Graduates from both Battersea Polytechnic and the College of Technology were invited to receive Honorary Bachelor Degree awards at a special ceremony on 2 November 2011 to mark the University of Surrey's 120th anniversary. Among the graduates was our beloved proprietor, Kit Chapman.
The Castle at Taunton launches its own "Great British Bake Off"!
9 October 2011
We've decided to launch our own open competition, calling on all bakers - gifted amateurs as well as professionals - to register your interest send a written or emailed application to Kit Chapman.
The MUSEUM of SOMERSET Opening
Thursday, 29 September 2011
With amazing new galleries to explore, and extraordinary objects to discover, the Museum of Somerset is a must-see visitor attraction for everyone from Somerset and beyond.
Taunton Literary Festival Programme of Events
Tuesday, 28th June
Brendon Books inaugural Taunton Literary Festival website is now online, with over 40 events over 11 days at venues all over Taunton.
Letter from the Archipelago: Politics, ouzo and a souvlaki with horta!
16th June 2011, by Kit Chapman
These are dark days for Greece. Commentators are beginning to wonder if the country is ungovernable as an embattled George Papandreou faces riots on the streets of Athens, general strikes and a parliament in disarray over the IMF/EU rescue plan.
Letter from the Archipelago: A wedding on Lake Como
6th June 2011 by Kit Chapman
We have returned to our Aegean island – the place that provided so much inspiration for the writing of My Archipelago, my latest book.
Our Garden Party on July 3rd will feature BBQ Cider-Can Chicken!
May 28, 2011 by Kit Chapman
Ah! The garden party! That great English institution of the English summer. An opportunity to show off your garden to friends, neighbours and visitors just at that moment when your borders, shrubs and rose bushes are in their prime.
The Tesla Electric car battles with Ferrari for a carbon-free world at Taunton's Castle Hotel
Saturday, May 21st
This weekend, The Castle at Taunton will mark an historic moment in mankind's search for a clean energy future.
An open message to George Goring, OBE and The Goring Hotel by Kit Chapman
A report about you in the Sunday Times (08.05.11) had me gasping for breath!
Michael Caines, the Dean of Exeter and how charity is good for business
On Friday, Louise and I enjoyed another excellent lunch at Michael Caines's restaurant, Abode in Exeter- aka the Royal Clarence Hotel.
The Royal Wedding: The greatest marketing show on Earth
April 30, 2011 by Kit Chapman
I must confess to a twinge of envy for my old pal George Goring, owner of the eponymous hotel which became the Middleton family's billet before the Royal Wedding. At a stroke, The Goring has become world famous and the most famous hotel in London. For years to come, this 5-star address will become the most desirable place to stay for visitors to the capital.
Von Essen Hotels – A case of one man's hubris
April 22, 2011 by Kit Chapman
For many observers, the demise of Von Essen Hotels has come as no surprise. What is surprising is that it took so long.
Valerie Harper & Gill Whatmore
After more than 40 years of outstanding service here at the Castle, Valerie Harper and Gill Whatmore celebrated their retirement with a wonderful springtime luncheon in our Penthouse.
BRAZZ@The Castle will offer Jamie Raftery's perfect Chicken Liver Parfait
Saturday, March 5th
In April we shall be relaunching BRAZZ, the Castle's town-centre bar and brasserie. But, I hasten to add, the revamped menu will still retain all the old favourites… our famous fishcakes, our fish 'n' chips, our steaks and burgers, and so on.
A tale of snails, sea urchins, frogs' legs and calves' heads
Sunday, 27th February
"I call it Beatrix Potter syndrome – a condition which makes English middle class stomachs wrench in the face of menus offering esoteric French classics."
The Castle Restaurant will be transformed into a private events space on 4th April
From 4th April 2011, The Castle Restaurant will be transformed into a private events space, devoted to parties, functions and special occasions. BRAZZ will become our exclusive restaurant, with the professional team from The Castle running the show.
60 Years at the Castle, HT interview with Kit Chapman
Kit Chapman's energy, personality and enthusiasms have ensured that the Castle Hotel, Taunton 'punches well above its weight' in this business. A 44 bedroom hotel in a West Country market town would not normally aspire to a national reputation, but "The Castle" does and it has earned it.
Somerset Food and Drink "An interview with Jamie Raftery"
JAMIE RAFTERY has been appointed head chef at Kit Chapman's Castle hotel in Taunton. He follows in the footsteps of Gary Rhodes, Phil Vickery and Richard Guest, who have all spearheaded Chapman's vision for increasing the prominence of English cuisine.
Wassailing The Castle's Apple Orchard in glorious mud!
18 January 2011
They came over the Levels through mediaeval mists and thin, intermittent rain. Scores 0f our most loyal, most resolute clients – all bound for Charlton Orchards near Creech St Michael. And what for? To wassail our new apple saplings in deep, thick, sticky mud – an orchard of 60 trees to mark 60 years of the Chapman dynasty at Taunton's Castle Hotel.
The Castle at Taunton supports Fish Fight!
Michel Roux's Service on BBC 2: A coup for the restaurant industry
The arrival Michel Roux's Service, an eight-part prime time TV series which introduces a group of young front-of-house career hopefuls to the restaurant world, is the greatest PR breakthrough our industry has seen in over 30 years.
An embarrassment of apples. "Drink up and we'll wassail thee"!
Last week I wrote a letter to all members of The Castle Dining Club – 338 supporters of our special events and, indeed, our most loyal clients. My purpose was to invite them to "wassail" or celebrate the planting of our own orchard of 60 apple trees to mark the 60th year of the Chapman Family's custodianship of the hotel.
The Castle at Taunton Unveils its 60th Anniversary Apple Orchard
On 17th January (Old Twelfth Night), the Castle Hotel in Taunton will be unveiling an orchard of 60 apple trees, planted to mark the 60th year of the Chapman family's custodianship of the hotel in 2010.
Why no matter how hot it's got in the kitchen, Kit has always kept it in the family
Article featured 28th December, 2010 in the Westcountry Life.
"Anyone who has ever met Kit Chapman, owner of The Castle at Taunton, knows how passionately he cares about the luxury hotel that has been run by his family for three generations, spanning 60 years."
ROYAL HONEYMOON PACKAGE LAUNCHED BY THE CASTLE AT TAUNTON
One of this country's great castle hotels, the Castle at Taunton in the heart of Somerset has put together a honeymoon for 2011, befitting of royalty – not least the future King William and Queen Catherine. The package includes two night's accommodation in the Castle's luxury Penthouse, with its commanding views of the Quantocks and the Blackdown Hills. A personal butler will be on-hand to ensure that regal requests are fulfilled. The honeymoon costs £2,500, and is available from April 2011. Telephone the Castle Hotel on 01823 328332 or visit www.the-castle-hotel.com for reservations or enquiries.
Congratulations to William and Kate!
News has just reached us that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to be married next year. The venue is yet to be announced but where better than a castle? You too can have a royal wedding here at the Castle and for more details on what we can offer you, go to our wedding page or better still come in and see us!
News from Kit Chapman…June 2010
As I write these words, the sun is streaming through the windows of the Castle Hotel and shining on the roses in the Norman Garden. And so it has been doing for the past several days. So, let us look forward to a jolly summer with plenty of excitements to amuse you.
Keep It In The Family, BBC 2 – The Castle at Taunton
Once a mainstay of business life, the traditional family firm is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In Britain nine out of ten family businesses now fail to make it past the second generation.
Unique Easter Festival Celebrates Haydn Bicentenary
In a ten-day Easter Festival, Taunton's Castle Hotel is playing host to ten of the world's great string quartets who will be performing all 68 Haydn string quartets including four performances of the Seven Last Words op. 51. No other performing arts centre, never mind a hotel, is undertaking a festival on this scale. |
