A retirement village in Hampshire has become the first to win national recognition for the quality of its restaurant with the award of an AA rosette.
The Redwood Bistro at Bishopstoke Park retirement community in Eastleigh – which is open to non-residents – received the award following an anonymous inspection visit in December.
While the announcement may have come as a surprise, the Redwood was clear in its ambitions under chef Rob Quehan, who has worked in prestige London kitchens including the Ivy and the Dorchester.
Kevin Young, the general manager of Bishopstoke Park (pictured with Quehan and Katrina Lane, services manager), is himself a former chef and interviewed 150 candidates before appointing Quehan when the restaurant opened 18 months ago.
The Redwood menu boasts dishes such as local venison loin pan-roasted and served with confit potatoes, braised savoy cabbage and blackberry purée, and pistachio sponge with caramelised pineapple and berry macaroon. It also offers child-friendly plates for families visiting residents.
Bishopstoke is run by Anchor, which describes itself as Britain’s biggest provider of housing and care for the over-55s. Opened in 2015, the village has 91 one and two-bedroom apartments and a 48-room care-home. Another 73 apartments are being added in a second phase of construction.
To book a table at The Redwood Bistro, call 030 0123 7234 or visit www.anchor.org.uk/redwood-
