Director of Food and Beverage Jonathan Parker, is responsible for much more than the standard nosebag at Ascot Racecourse the place with the hats – a fantastic day out with much fun and enjoyment to be had. There’s the King George, Shergar Cup not to mention Ladies Day at the peak of the Ascot season. An integral part of the day out for the visitors is the food and drink offer and Jonathan spent a few minutes describing the challenges, innovations and behind the scenes to us.
Ascot Racecourse created the Director of Food and Beverage role because they realised how important it is to the whole day out. Jonathan Parker joined earlier this year to hone its specialism in this tardis of operations, which span from fine dining to the more traditional fayre of fish and chips, sausage in a bun, lager and real ale.
For those that have never been to a race day, racing is but a few minutes of high octane, depending on your financial stake, excitement as the horses thunder, jockeys jiggling atop, towards the finish line. So the food and drink become the centre of attention before, in between and after the races, which means that it has to be achieve winning rosettes!
Keeping ahead of and on top of the trends is a key part of the challenge. The Ascot faithful are not demanding, but extremely appreciative of something different. So Jonathan’s team are constantly trying new things and coming up with some crazy and not so crazy ideas. However whatever it is then it has to be a genuine trend not a fad!
A recent event saw a tasting of different waters, trying different H2Os from across Europe and – yes – they all taste different. In a golfing twist, a ‘Ryder Cup’ beer competition set American craft ale against European styles.
Turning to the fine dining offer this year they served a dessert wine, Sauternes with their signature menu produced by Raymond Blanc and Phil Howard.
They work closely with suppliers to develop innovation in their environment.
The scale of the operation is seldom appreciated with 4,000 catering staff on site at the peak of the season. This will see suppliers end in teams of people, whether that be the wine supplier, coffee or Chef. Phil Howard sent in a complete kitchen brigade this year. The Espresso Martinis went down a bomb this year with their coffee suppliers, who sent in 10 Baristas. The wine supplier works closely to train the sommeliers on site.
However it is not all fashion and fashionistas, some things have to remain the same , fish and chips, sausage in a bun, lager and real ale as well as the core of the Afternoon tea. The scone, fruit cake and smoked salmon sandwich have to be excellent and continuous, however the rest of it can be as creative as you like.
The Ascot Village enclosure was opened earlier this year to attract a new younger audience and create more of a festival vibe with racing at its heart, including bands and music after the racing.
Drink is a very important part of Royal Ascot and enjoying it is embedded as a part of British culture and summer season. Ascot is quite different to the set up at Jonathan’s previous employers in S.W. London, who put a famous racquet event on every year. That is once per year; whereas racing is year round so the complexity of offer and the breadth of what can be offered is much greater, as are the client expectations.
There are cocktails, a Gin Bar where the Royal Ascot Pink Gin goes down a storm, box holders have Champagne and a selection of fine wines to choose from. Royal Ascot goers are clear however its Champagne rather than Prosecco.
In an innovation this year Ascot introduced an English sparkling wine for the first time. Its been very popular.
Last week’s food and drink festival has been running for 9 years and offers racegoers the opportunity of discovering 120 stalls offering various fayre, carefully measured out so that there is saturation from one particular sector. This year saw 45 new stall holders and Great British Bake Off winner, Candice Brown publicised and attended as did Plymouth and TV Chef James tanner hosted a cookery theatre.
The activity for Jonathan is year round and much variety to keep him busy, interested and many challenges to wrestle with. The next 12 months continue the innovation with a nod to the casual dining movement. Jonathan will lead a subtle change towards less formal dining in the more traditional areas of service. Where the four course meal occurs at a particular time and is rigid in its format, Royal Ascot are seeking to have chef stations, a more relaxed setting, where guests don’t necessarily sit formulaically around a table.
Conversely in the public areas they are introducing more formality. Taking the value for money sentiment of making special occasions special, a more elegant day out, with more table service and more restaurant covers. 2017 saw an increase of 1,000 table covers, which will increase again in 2018 and 2 restaurants in the village.
The Cocktail bar with table service and food offer has been extremely popular this year and will again grow next year. The Royal Ascot Pink Gin is gin based cocktail Royal Blush – Gin, Rhubarb syrup, fresh raspberries and a wedge of lemon sold more than Pimms in some bars this year.
As for Jonathan his favourite of the moment when he gets a chance to sit down is Elderflower Fizz and when service allows a measure of gin added.
Neither the scale of operations at Ascot cannot be underestimated, nor the high standards of quality. The pace of innovation and change are lightening, and judging by the popularity of Ascot, despite the turbulent times, it continues to delight, entertain and enthuse its guests. That’s worth more than a nosebag of appreciation.
Thanks for your time Jonathan, it was enlightening
Alistair Morrell
Hospitality & Catering News, Wine & Drinks Editor