In conversation with Sezgin Yuksel, F&B Director 4 July 2023

I started my journey at The Grove as Operations Manager, looking after the events side of the business. I am fortunate that my role has grown so much over the years and I am now privileged to be the Food & Beverage Director. My role is a very dynamic one due to the multiple offerings we have on-site, with up to five restaurants in the summer combined with a busy events calendar. Ultimately, I enjoy leading a fantastic team and providing great experiences for our guests.

We have lots of different dining options for you to sink your teeth into this summer, but highlights include our two immersive pop-up restaurants. There’s Feast on Cloud 9, where you’ll be able to enjoy a nine-course tasting menu or afternoon tea in your own hot air balloon in the Formal Gardens. Or, for a taste of Sardinia, we’ll have our pop-up Italian restaurant, Verde Kitchen, where fresh pasta and pizza is on the menu, inspired by chef Andrea Santu’s childhood home in Sassari and using ingredients from our kitchen garden.

I’m Turkish and our food is famous for its mezze sharing style. My most memorable meal was in my home town of Bursa in an outdoor restaurant. The dish I had was called “Saç Kavurma” which translates as lamb sautéed with peppers, tomatoes and spices. It is cooked in a heavy pan over a fire and is very delicious, served with warm Turkish bread, chopped salad with lots of parsley, lemon juice and olive oil and of course a glass of Raki!

In September we’ll be launching a very special afternoon tea with Kew Gardens which you’ll be able to enjoy in our beautiful Potting Shed that overlooks Jemima’s Kitchen Garden. From a blackberry and plum mille feuille to chamomile scones, we wanted the menu to focus on sustainable and seasonal dishes, using fresh, high-quality ingredients from our kitchen garden. To help you get ahead with Christmas shopping, we will even have a Kew Shop on-site, chock-full of garden-themed goodies.

I love the food of Yotam Ollolenghi. He has visited The Grove for a few events and I love the casual nature of his food which is so delicious, interesting, and has a plant-based focus.

I am a whisky man at heart so it would be an Old Fashioned cocktail before dinner. My ideal menu would start with some of our chefs’ fantastic crustacea from The Glasshouse buffet. I would pick the rack of lamb with minted jus from The Stables restaurant for my main course and then for dessert I would have to choose the poached peaches from Verde Kitchen, which is accompanied with lemon sorbet and an amaretti crumb – a perfect end to an evening if you ask me!

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