Hampshire: Holiday Inn Winchester awarded AA 2 Rosette

The four-star Holiday Inn Winchester is celebrating receiving an AA 2 Rosette Award.  The hotel, which already held a single AA Rosette Award, had recently appointed new head chef Chris Keel who, prior to this appointment, had been with Chilworth Manor for 12 years.

General manager Siobhan Thomasson commented: “We are thrilled that the AA inspector felt we deserved to receive a 2 Rosette Award this year and that her visit was so perfectly timed, just after launching our new a la carte menu that our recently appointed head chef Chris Keel had put so much time and creativity into developing.  It is wonderful to be recognised as a hotel that provides high-quality food and service.”

Sales manager Sarah Waddington added: “We all hope that Chris will stay even longer with our hotel as he has settled in so well with his new team. It is wonderful to have such an experienced and skilled head chef on board who is full of new ideas for exciting and inventive dishes, which were obviously enjoyed by the AA inspector.”

The AA Rosette scheme is long established and successfully recognises cooking at different levels nationwide. The success or failure in achieving Rosettes is based on at least one visit to a hotel or restaurant whereby the entire meal, including ancillary items, is assessed. The AA inspector’s visit to the hotel is always anonymous and the hotels do not have any notice of their arrival.

The AA inspector who visited the Holiday Inn Winchester commented: “The highlight of this stay, with the quality and skill level demonstrated at dinner, comfortably exceeded expectations for the grading. Very good skill levels, quality ingredients and clean, clear flavours.”

The hotel already has a long list of awards including those for sustainability, which include the Carbon Smart, Green Tourism, PEA Award and Beautiful South Awards.