Haute Cuisine

According to a 2017 report from the Office of National Statistics, Britons are spending more on eating out and short breaks than ever before. Great news for holiday park owners who, post-Brexit, are already reaping the benefits of the staycation trend. Increasingly demanding, UK holidaymakers want a whole lot more than a home away from home.

The trend for greater sophistication and refinement in holiday home design is filtering through to modern catering solutions too. A fine dining restaurant might not be the first thought when you think of a holiday park but Islawrffordd Caravan Park is no ordinary holiday park. Owned and run by the Evans Family since 1957, award-winning Islawrffordd provides the very best in quality facilities for its 201 holiday home bases, 75 fully serviced hard standing touring caravan/motorhome plots and 30 camping pitches.

Situated in the village of Talybont, at the southern end of the magnificent Snowdonia National Park coastline, Islawrffordd has seen considerable recent investment. In a park blessed with luxurious leisure facilities, even the toilet block of the touring area boasts under-floor heating. In 2015, a £500,000 investment brought to life a new fine dining experience, Nineteen57 restaurant.

“It was important to give the park bar and restaurant facilities that match the high standards of the rest of the site, explains Jane Evans. “Nineteen57 offers both formal and relaxed areas, and menus that appeal to the widest selection of customer tastes.”

A glance at the fine dining menu is enough to make your mouth water with such delights as pheasant with potato and thyme gratin and Welsh lamb, served with leek and cheddar croquette. Meals are prepared using locally sourced items and a 24 hour notice period for table bookings ensures the absolute freshest ingredients.

Jane Evans says; “The project has been incredibly successful for both the park and the local area. The park leases the building to chef Sion Wellings. We don’t have the expertise to run such an operation ourselves and outsourcing has given the chance for Sion, a talented local young chef, to have his own business.”

Outsourcing to catering professionals or franchises may be the norm but keeping catering services in-house can have benefits too. “The case for franchising a park’s catering operation can be quite compelling admits Michael Holgate of the Holgates parks group. “For a start, you can say goodbye to a whole host of admin issues, not to mention staffing headaches…but franchising will never happen at Holgates.”

To find out why, and to read more about making the most of 'Haute Cuisine' subscribe to Holiday Park Scene here.