Earlier this month David Taylor opened Kynd, a new produce-led restaurant located at Hampton Manor in Hampton-in-Arden in the West Midlands. Marking his second venture at the venue, following the opening of Grace & Savour in 2022, Kynd has replaced Smoke, the restaurant that was run by former MasterChef: The Professionals winner Stuart Deeley for three years. Kynd is led in the kitchen by head chef Alex Hardy and serves dishes that lean on French and British techniques, with Nordic influences throughout as a nod to Taylor’s time spent in Norway, where he was part of the team that was awarded three Michelin stars at Oslo’s Maaemo.
What was the idea behind Kynd?
The idea behind Kynd was to open a restaurant that champions our land, single varieties and rare breeds, which is the very best of what we do - served up in a relaxed and convivial dining space that still brings a sense of occasion. I love all the relationships we have built at Grace & Savour directly with farmers, makers and fishermen and I know the more direct support the better that is for our producers, while offering an experience that is affordable to more.
It’s located in what was previously Smoke restaurant. How has the transition been?
This is our third week of opening, and we have kept the number of covers low to let the team settle in and to be confident with the dishes and make sure they are working in the space, but I’ve been really pleased with it so far. Smoke which was very popular and trying to make it feel like a different restaurant has been the initial challenge. It’s the same building but there are a few tweaks all over to give it a different feel. My style of food is very different to Stuart’s, and I like different music, so it has created a different feel than before.
How does it complement Grace & Savour?
Many of the people we work with at Grace and Savour we will be using at Kynd. The restaurant is British focused; however, we will champion things like British chocolate producers. Chocolate is not something we would use at Grace & Savour, however at Kynd I want to make it more familiar, with things like well-sourced chocolate.
What are the standout launch dishes?
I am really excited for the tipsy cake with organic Welsh rum and brown butter ice cream. It’s a sharer that I want people to gorge over. The Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese with chicken and lovage velouté is very moreish and champions an incredible cheese that needs our support. I’d also say our ex dairy flat iron with black garlic and homemade miso butter is really delicious. The meat is so rich in flavour but so buttery in texture - it’s a personal favourite already.
How different is the food offer at Kynd compared to Grace & Savour?
The food is more relaxed, but without losing that sense of occasion. Kynd’s food is still influenced by my time in Scandinavia however this expression is more of what I have experienced in casual eateries in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. My heart is to always champion British producers and they will always be the stars of the show.
What are you most looking forward to with Kynd?
I am really looking forward to the buzz of a la carte cooking; that lively atmosphere, delicious food with a team that is bringing a warm authentic love for what they are doing.
Will both restaurants collaborate?
We are using many of the same producers we work with at Grace & Savour, and this is great to bring more direct support to our farmers, fisherman and producers. We will forage together as one team on things we are both using, and I also hope we can help to combat food waste by coming together to innovate on what one place might not be using but another one can. This would also extend to Hampton Manor’s events team too. I love building teams and seeing people collaborate. It can be challenging but incredibly rewarding and this is why we approach this with a one estate mindset. An example of this is the different kitchens cooking for each other for staff meals.
What are your plans for Grace & Savour?
Grace & Savour is constantly evolving. We’re asking ourselves every day how do we make this better for our guests, for our producers and for our team? We are hoping to introduce measurements of our energy, waste and water usage so we can track better our work into reducing in all these areas, and a leadership academy across Hampton Manor estate has begun to invest in all our leaders. Our growing programme will increase significantly this year as our soil health is coming into a better place, allowing us to feature a lot more of the garden than in previous years. I have always wanted Grace & Savour to be known for how we take care of our people, how we cook delicious well sourced food and what we do to support those who leave our land and seas in a better place. We do all this because I believe that, with all this done to the highest level possible, we’ll create special moments around the table for our guests.