Former Perilla Chef Adam Wood named head chef at Garden House in Cambridge
Adam Wood, former Sous Chef at the acclaimed Newington Green restaurant Perilla, has been appointed Head Chef at Garden House, a new restaurant set to open in Cambridge this Summer.
A collaboration between White Rabbit Projects (Lina Stores, Kricket, Island Poké) and Graduate Hotels, Garden House will launch within Graduate Cambridge, set on the banks of the River Cam, this July.
Adam, who was classically trained in French cuisine, now brings a passion for pared back, seasonally driven cooking to this new venture.
At Garden House, the focus will be flame grilled cooking with East Anglian produce from the surrounding areas, namely Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Adam has worked closely with some of the most revered suppliers in the industry to curate a sustainable, seasonal kitchen which revolves around superior ingredients.
Vegetables will come courtesy of the renowned Flourish Produce, an entirely horse-powered biodiverse farm, whilst meat will be provided by Huntsham Court, specialists in traditional breeds and small scale, high welfare farming.
Adam’s menu will be largely grill-focused, and dishes will change regularly as the best produce comes into season.
The Summer menu will include snacks of Flourish Farm vegetables, goat salami from Cobble Lane and native oysters with salted gooseberry & jalapeno, followed by cured chalkstream trout with green almond dressing and grilled quail with pickled cherries and dandelion. Larger plates will include a whole brill with shellfish sauce and grilled herdwick lamb with red peppers & roasted seaweed.
There will also be abundant dressed seafood platters, and a signature dessert of Cambridge Burnt Cream Tart - a classic dish with a local slant.
Garden House will comprise a 94 cover dining room, a 24 cover terrace, and a 14 seat private dining room, with additional al-fresco tables in the garden.
Alongside Garden House, Adam will also design and oversee the food offering across the hotel’s additional f&b spaces, namely Garden Bar, a café and flexible gathering space, where the menus will include more informal, home-style dishes cooked in the same sustainable, produce lead ethos.
In February White Rabbit Projects and Graduate Hotels announced that they would partner on a handful of upcoming hotel launches, opening in the U.K in 2021. News of the partnership came after Graduate Hotels confirmed that they would debut their first European properties in Cambridge and Oxford this year, with White Rabbit Projects working alongside the group to develop and operate an exciting range of restaurants, bars and event spaces within the hotels.
