The revolutionary ultra-compact surface, Dekton® by Cosentino has once again proven to be the surface of choice for professional chefs, with its recent specification by internationally acclaimed Michelin star chef, John Campbell for his restaurant and cookery school, The Woodspeen.

Situated in the beautiful West Berkshire countryside near Newbury, The Woodspeen Restaurant was built on the plot of a once thriving local pub that had been left in a state of disrepair.  Over a 12 month build period, the new building came to life, keeping the shell of the original pub but adding a large extension to the rear to create a bright, airy restaurant with fantastic views of the rolling countryside.

During the original renovation, Dekton® in the colour Danae had previously been chosen for the restaurant’s open pass, designed to add a touch of theatre to guests who are able to see the inner workings of the kitchen from the restaurant. Campbell wanted to steer away from the austere nature of standard stainless steel tops often found in professional kitchens to create a link between the kitchen and onlooking diners, and so Dekton® offered both a beautiful and practical design solution for the pass.  As Campbell explains, “Pans, plates and extremely hot utensils are used on the pass each and every day so it’s important that the surface is able to cope with the heat, which Dekton® does brilliantly.”

This initial introduction to the ultra-compact surface led Campbell to specify it once again when embarking on the recent refurbishment of The Woodspeen Cookery School, citing how impressed he was with the surface’s durability as one of the core reasons. “The top in the restaurant is over three and half years old, but still looks just as good as when it was put in – hence why Dekton® was the obvious choice in the Cookery School. It looks good, it feels good, but importantly it gives us all the benefits required.”

Located just yards away from the main restaurant, the Cookery School is open to both professional chefs for intense training days and enthusiastic home cooks enjoying the various different courses on offer.  Campbell wanted the space’s new design to bridge the gap between a commercial and domestic kitchen, ensuring that all students felt at home in the space, however it was also key that the material specified for the tops would be robust enough to cope with intense daily use.  Having already seen Dekton®’s high resistance to heat, scratches and stains in action on the restaurant’s pass, Campbell was assured it would be more than up to the job, whilst offering additional benefits for the particular skills taught in the school. “Perfect for the Cookery School, Dekton® remains the same temperature as the room, unlike marble and granite surfaces which can be at a much lower temperature to their environment.  When we are teaching students to make bread for example, we can turn out the dough straight onto the surface as it’s very tactile, smooth and a pleasure to work on.»

Previously used in the restaurant pass, Dekton® Danae was selected again for two worktops in the cookery school, creating contrast and giving the centre of the space a feeling of spaciousness due to its lighter hue.  Selected for the remaining worktops and splashbacks in the Cookery School, the award-winning Dekton® Trilium, part of the Industrial Collection, immediately stood out as the obvious choice for Campbell. «Trilium, wow, amazing. What the whole restaurant and the cookery school is all about is natural woods, materials, coppers, bronzes and brick so this design really complements the dark colours and metallic elements and was the obvious choice here. For me, the Dekton® tops really create the visual wow factor in this kitchen.»

 

Project: The Woodspeen Restaurant and Cookery School

Location: Berkshire, UK

Project end date: October 2017

Duration of Project (for Cookery School refurb): 3 months

Original Architect for Restaurant and Cookery School: Softroom

Kitchen Designer for Cookery School Refurbishment: Snugg Kitchens

Builder: Donovans Construction

 

Application: Restaurant Pass and Cookery School Worktops

Material: Dekton®

Colour: Danae

Thickness: 20mm

Quantity (m2): 5

 

Application: Cookery School Worktops

Material: Dekton®

Colour: Trilium

Thickness: 20mm

Quantity (m2): 45

Image and Video Credits: Black Edge Productions