Creativity is about giving each place its own identity.
We don’t take the same approach from one site to the next. Every food and drink offer is shaped around the setting, the audience and how people use it, whether that’s building a restaurant concept, developing a café or working with collaborators to bring new ideas into the menu.
The result is food that feels distinct to each place, rather than repeated across the portfolio.
For us, creativity always has intent.
On the plate and in the glass, in beautifully considered spaces, in the way we use smart technology and in the stories we tell, every element is chosen with care.
It’s never about chasing trends. It’s about balancing flair with purpose, shaping experiences that feel distinctive, relevant and right for the moment.
Creativity starts in the kitchen
Every menu begins with the same questions. What works in this space. Who are we feeding. What’s at its best right now. From there, our chefs build dishes around ingredients they trust, shaping menus that feel right for the place and the people in it.
But it’s also about thinking differently. Looking beyond the obvious, reworking familiar ideas and finding new ways to bring flavour, balance and interest to the plate. Sometimes that means pushing things forward. Sometimes it means knowing when to keep it simple.
No two sites are the same, and neither are the menus. Some lean into bold, flavour-led plates designed for sharing. Others focus on simple, seasonal dishes that change with the day. It’s a constant process of testing, refining and getting the balance right.
From first idea to final dish, creativity is about making good decisions and backing them with skill.
Meet some of the chefs shaping our menus.
Here’s how some of our chefs bring that thinking into their menus.
Alasdair Beach, Group Chef - Events & Venues
In our venues, no two briefs are the same. Every menu starts with the event, the client and the setting.
The job is making it fit. Building dishes that work at scale, hold their quality and still feel right for the room.
“Start with the idea, adapt to the space and make it work.”
Karen Poynter, Group Chef - Historic Royal Palaces
I love shaping menus that celebrate the history of the palaces, bringing those influences into dishes with a more modern approach.
Inspired by the stories behind each space, the menus bring together history, imagination and hands-on creativity, designed to feel right for the setting and the people visiting it.
“My goal is to turn that inspiration into food our visitors remember.”
Jamian Lewis, Executive Chef, Guinness Open Gate Brewery London
At the Open Gate Brewery, the menu is driven by flavour and the energy of the space.
Dishes are pushed, pulled back and reworked until they land properly. Built to stand up on their own and alongside the beers.
“If it doesn’t hit properly, it doesn’t go on.”
Beatriz Correia, Head Chef - The Orangery Kensington Palace
At the Orangery, the menu starts with the setting. A historic space, a broad audience and a pace that moves through the day.
Creativity comes from how that’s interpreted. Taking classic dishes and refining them, adjusting flavour and balance so they feel relevant, not expected.
“You have to respect where you are, but still give people something they didn’t expect.”
Enrico Casti, Head Chef - Southbank Centre
At Southbank Centre, the kitchen has to keep pace with the space. Busy, unpredictable and always moving.
The challenge is turning that into something consistent. Dishes that land every time, even at speed, without losing flavour or intent.
"Keep it clear, make it work and get it right every time"
Johnathan Kara-Hughes, Head Chef - Royal College of Physicians
At RCP, the food needs to match the room. Structured, precise and built for occasion.
Menus are shaped around balance and detail. Familiar dishes, carefully adjusted to suit the setting, the service and the moment.
“Every detail shows, so every detail matters.”
Spaces
Some spaces we step into, others we help build. From new concepts created from the ground up to reworking existing venues, we shape how a space comes together in practice. That means looking at layout, flow and how guests move through it, alongside how food and drink are delivered. Every element is designed to work as one, so the space feels right from the moment you arrive.
Storytelling
Storytelling runs through everything we do. From menus that reflect a venue’s history to details that nod to the people and purpose behind a place, it’s how we connect food and drink to the setting. It doesn’t need to be overdone, but when it’s right, it adds another layer to the experience.
