Chef Tom Sellers is to open five new eating and drinking sites at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, purported to be Britain’s oldest country club and now owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia.
The luxury venue on a 300-acre estate near Slough – but more importantly for its clientele within easy reach of both Heathrow and central London – has been closed for renovations since its sale in 2021, although it has hosted the Boodles pre-Wimbledon tennis challenge for the past three years and its golf course reopened earlier this summer.
Tom is best known for Restaurant Story in Southwark, and will launch the new venues next month, led by a 48-cover flagship restaurant named The Penn, after John Penn, grandson of Pennsylvania founder William Penn, who developed Stoke Park in the late 18th century.
The Penn will serve a seasonal à la carte menu said to be ‘shaped by British culinary history’, with dishes including a terrine of spiced pig’s head with Scottish langoustine, roast wild sea bass with Orkney scallop, and venison Wellington Rossini. The menu will also feature produce from the park’s kitchen garden, now headed by Kate Manners, former head gardener at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
Tom’s company HiStory Hospitality will also be responsible for four other Stoke Park venues: The Piano Bar, focusing on cocktails; The Terrace & Glasshouse, offering an informal menu including salads, with pizzas and barbecue on the terrace; The Tea Room for morning coffee and afternoon tea; and The Clubhouse for pub classics and Indian meals.
Tom says: “We are thrilled to be opening at Stoke Park, joining the legendary estate at this pivotal point in its history. Creative storytelling through food is inherent to everything we do at HiStory Hospitality, so it is an honour to be writing the next culinary chapter for Stoke Park, and we’re incredibly excited to open the doors and to become part of the story.“
Sumeet Taneja, head of hospitality at Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited, said: “The restoration and renovation of this historic estate have been a remarkable journey, undertaken with great care and consideration to honour its rich heritage while enhancing the exceptional experience we offer our guests. We are beyond delighted to be working with Tom Sellers and his team on our F&B collection, bringing our guests from near and far something truly special, whatever the occasion.”
Tom opened Restaurant Story to instant acclaim in 2013, having cut his teeth under top chefs including Adam Byatt and Tom Aikens in London, Thomas Keller in New York and Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen. He has followed up with Story Cellar in Soho, and this summer opened restaurant Mor on the Carbis Bay estate in St Ives, Cornwall.