POLO DAY RAISES OVER £40,000 FOR HOSPITALITY ACTION!

Industry charity Hospitality Action rose over £40,000 on Sunday 7^th September at the charity’s fifth annual Polo Day which took place at the beautiful Beaufort Polo Club in Gloucestershire. The Michelin two-starred chef Martin Burge of Whatley Manor and the Michelin-starred chefs Sam Moody of The Bath Priory and Hywel Jones of Lucknam Park successfully joined forces with Calcot Kitchens to achieve this fantastic figure.

Ingredients for the lunch were kindly donated by Chefs’ Forum sponsors Walter Rose & Son Butchers (Devizes) for meat, Total Produce for fruit & veg and Wogan Coffee supplied the coffee.  Flying fish donated the fish.  it is this generosity from top industry suppliers that drives the food cost down making more money for the charity.

The Polo Day featured the final of the Solitaire Salver polo match which saw Babosas Blancas crowned as champions against Los Chinos in a thrilling game. Prior to the match, guests were treated to a polo demonstration as they enjoyed a Moët & Chandon drinks reception on the lawn of the Beaufort Polo Club. Guests were also delighted with a delicious lunch including tartar of Cornish pollack, slow roast Roundway Hill pork and vanilla panna cotta as well as afternoon cream tea prepared by Calcot Kitchens.

Penny Moore, chief executive, Hospitality Action, said: “Tickets to the Polo Day sold out back in June making it a firm favourite amongst our supporters and polo fans alike! We are indebted to our event sponsors Tetbury Audi and Moët for supporting the day and ensuring its continued success. Demand for the charity’s assistance is up once again thus the funds raised here today will enable us to help even more of our colleagues in crisis.”

Richard Ball, Executive Chairman of Calcot Hotels, said:  “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated towards this special event, without whom today would have been impossible. Not to mention City of Bath College and Gloucestershire College for their front of house support. My thanks to all the chefs for the time and effort they have put into the event and my team at Calcot Kitchens for all their hard work.”

The day was attended by a number of well-known figures from across the industry including William Baxter CBE, Harry Murray MBE of Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa and Peter Hancock of Pride of Britain Hotels.

For more information about Hospitality Action and to learn about future events, visit www.hospitalityaction.org.uk