The top line: Located on Windsor High Street, new British brasserie Penningtons has opened at Castle Hotel Windsor following a £9.5m refurbishment of the hotel. Developed in partnership with Auden Hospitality, the all-day restaurant takes its name from 17th-century innkeeper George Pennington, who introduced the locally used Pennington Penny token currency in 1656. The concept draws on the hotel’s history as Windsor’s original inn, with a relaxed yet refined dining experience centred on British produce.
On the menu: Head chef Iain Ganson, who joins from Thames Lido, has created a seasonal menu focused on British produce and making as much as possible in-house. Stocks, sauces, pickles, preserves and pastry are made from scratch, with ingredients including venison from the Windsor Estate, hogget from a Henley-based shepherd, British coastal fish and Berkshire cheeses. A nose-to-tail approach runs through the kitchen, with the menu changing throughout the year. British favourites are given playful twists, with a collection of pies wrapped in traditional hot water crust pastry, alongside a Sunday roast and dessert trolley. Snacks include Gordal olives; fishcakes with yoghurt tartare; and cheddar and ale rabbit; followed by starters of half-shell scallops with smoked coral butter and dill; venison tartare with hand-cut crisps; and smoked heirloom tomatoes with hung yoghurt and soft herbs. Mains include market fish with white beans and rapeseed aioli; parched peas with roast aubergine and chard; and ox cheek pie with tarragon mustard, while a choux bun with coffee ice cream and butterscotch; bay leaf panna cotta; and an Eton mess - served less than one mile from where the dessert was born feature on the dessert menu. Afternoon tea is also available, while the hotel bar serves craft beers, local brews and cocktails created by flavourist and The Cocktail Cabinet author Zoe Burgess.
The vibe: Penningtons has been designed as a contemporary British brasserie with interiors that combine the Georgian character of the building with a more modern brasserie with red banquettes, round marble tables and brass finishes. The hotel’s bar has been designed to revive the spirit of the original taproom, featuring zinc bar tops, tiled floors and classic pub detailing.
And another thing: Located moments from Windsor Castle, Castle Hotel Windsor traces its origins to 1528, when it first opened as The Mermaid Inn, making it one of the town’s oldest inns.
18 High Street, Windsor SL4 1LJ / https://www.penningtonsbrasserie.com/