Hotel launches search for UK’s first Taster in Residence

Chateau Impney's Taster in Residence

Chateau Impney Hotel has launched a search to find and appoint the UK’s first Taster in Residence. The unique initiative will see one person selected to taste all the Chateau's new dishes before they are added to its menus.

Every year, the Droitwich-based hotel, one of Worcestershire’s best-known landmarks, serves well in excess of 50,000 meals across its restaurant, bars, weddings, and extensive conference and exhibition facilities. The selected taster will work with the hotel’s executive chef and his team on a monthly basis, testing and providing feedback on dishes that are constantly being developed for the hotel’s seasonally changing menus.

Applicants for the honorary role need no formal catering qualifications or experience of working in hotels, but rather a well-developed palate and a passion for food.

Would-be tasters can apply via an online entry form on the hotel’s website. A judging panel will then assess every application before whittling down the entries to just eight finalists.

Those shortlisted will be invited to Chateau Impney for a series of ‘taste battles', where finalists will be pitted against each other in a number of assessments designed to put their palates to the test.

“As a forward-thinking hotel, we are always exploring new ways to ensure we offer our diners the best possible experience. By appointing an honorary Taster in Residence, the first such position in the UK, we hope that our guests will recognise just how seriously we take the quality of our food”, said Ben Elder, Chateau Impney’s general manager.

“In recent years, the plethora of cooking-based reality TV shows has demonstrated just how well informed the Great British public are when it comes to food. While the majority of the contestants in such shows are often just everyday people, they have the most fantastic understanding of flavours and a well-developed palate. It’s this knowledge and passion that we want to harness so we can build upon the already great food we deliver to customers on a daily basis,” Ben continued.

As well as sampling the new dishes before they are added to the menus, the Taster in Residence will also be asked to recommend dishes to customers, meaning that those dining at the Chateau can benefit from the taster’s insider knowledge.

“While we always look to use the very best ingredients and offer a seasonally changing menu, we also strive to ensure that our dishes are varied and of the highest quality.

“The appointment of a Taster in Residence will give us independent input and feedback, which will help us to develop and test our menus for the benefit of our diners. Therefore, we are looking forward to going through all the applications and finding that special person who will become the UK’s first Taster in Residence,” concluded Ben.

Those interested in becoming Chateau Impney’s Taster in Residence can apply by completing the online registration form at tasterinresidence.com. The closing date for applications is Thursday 3 July. For more information about Chateau Impney Hotel, visit chateau-impney.com