Warren House Head Chef Paul Bellingham talks about preparing seasonal menus for private dining, at home, at work, or packed for picnics and eaten al fresco

Warren House, Kingston. We all love English summers … jugs of Pimms, strawberries and cream, barbeques in the garden, long balmy evenings, picnics at the horse racing, tennis and cricket.

It is a time to entertain and be entertained and even if it rains, there is little that can dampen our enthusiasm for meeting up with friends, whether it is enjoying a picnic al fresco or inviting guests round for drinks and canapés.

We spoke to Paul Bellingham, head chef of Warren House in Kingston for his take on summer entertaining. Paul is a professionally trained chef, who has distinguished himself acquiring AA Rosettes and Michelin Stars in previous roles and now leads a dedicated and talented team at the much-acclaimed Warren House, providing a fine dining experience.

Paul’s menus reflect the changes in the seasons, and he regularly supplements locally sourced produce with fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs from the meadow situated on the Warren House grounds.

Paul said, “All our menus feature the abundance of locally sourced produce, whatever the season. Summer is a time of rich colour and bursting flavour and I incorporate this in all our menus, whether the dishes are prepared to be served at Warren House or are created for you to serve at home, at the office or on picnics. Much of what we use is home grown and bought here in our local community and in the surrounding Surrey countryside.”

He continued, “At Warren House, we have at least 30 different fruit trees growing in our meadow – including apples, cherries, plums, pears – which I include in our dishes and deserts.”

Warren House has long been associated with fine dining and Paul creates menus that seriously entice any palate and cater for any special requirements.All the dishes created and served at Warren House are inspirational and many have become firm favourites with our guests. “We treat all our clients as individuals, and regularly adapt our menus to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.”

Warren House Summer menus are available for entertaining and fine dining during private events, office meetings or functions or simply for entertaining friends and family, at home, or on summer picnics. For more details, please visit www.warrenhouse.com or contact Helen Bull, Sales Manager, on 020 8974 7049 or at helenbull@warrenhouse.com.