Award-winning food and drink, produce sourced from Northamptonshire, a food-packed events programme and a talented team at the helm… welcome to Delapré Abbey. In the last year alone, Delapré Abbey, a historic home set in acres of grassland and positioned just one mile from Northampton town centre, has served more than 84,000 teas and coffees from its popular café, The Orangery, which overlooks the south lawns.
Popular trays of sweet goodies are made by a nearby home baker, the coffee served has been roasted in Northamptonshire and even the cheese is sourced from a local deli.
It is now just over a year since the Abbey’s Charitable Trust first took over the running and management of The Orangery café and Hibiscus restaurant.
Richard Clinton, Chief Executive of Delapré Abbey, explained:
“It’s more than six years since the Abbey opened to the public and we’ve seen The Orangery, Hibiscus and our Common Ground café go from strength to strength. Every coffee, afternoon tea and purchase on-site is now directly supporting our community work and wellbeing programme, something we are incredibly proud of.
“We are committed to working with local suppliers and our partnerships continue to grow – with our meat, herbs, coffee, cakes, cheese and chutneys all sourced from Northamptonshire.”
Made in Northamptonshire
Delapré Abbey is committed to supporting local wherever possible, with more than half its suppliers based in Northamptonshire.
These include coffee from Northampton’s Yellow Bourbon, cakes from nearby Gem Jar Bakes, gluten free goodies from Brixworth-based Sugar and Spice, cheese from Long Buckby-based Hamm Tun Fine Foods, meats from Thomas Farm Shop in Ecton and herbs from Microgreener in Northampton.
The team at Delapré Abbey also grows its own fruit and veg in the Walled Garden.
Meet the team
Delapré Abbey’s head chef Bart Polinski has scooped an array of awards, including the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards Whitco Chef of the Year in 2022. Bart first joined the Abbey as a sous chef, was then promoted to head chef and in 2022 was promoted again to Executive Head Chef.
He said:
“I’m incredibly proud of the food we serve our loyal customers and I’m committed to elevating the food even more and to winning even more rosettes and awards. Putting something exceptional on the plate and making people happy really drives me.”
Valeria Sula recently joined Delapré Abbey and is now Restaurant Manager of both The Orangery and fine dining restaurant Hibiscus. Prior to joining the Abbey Valeria, who has a passion for and expertise in wine pairing, was deputy restaurant manager at Fawlsey Hall.
“I am captivated not only by the intricacies of wine but also by its delightful synergy with cuisine”, said Valeria. “Exploring the art of food and wine pairing, I love creating memorable dining experiences where the flavours of both elements harmonise and elevate the senses – and there is no better place in Northamptonshire to do this than at Delapré Abbey.”
The Abbey’s Hibiscus fine dining restaurant has a tasting menu (Thursdays to Saturdays) with optional wine pairing. The Orangery, open seven days a week, serving afternoon teas, bottomless brunches and special menus for occasions such as Mother’s Day.
Summer food festival
A two-day food festival is coming to Delapré Abbey this June, complete with food and drink stalls, street food, hourly chef demonstrations, tasting sessions and masterclasses.
A host of top local chefs are already lined up to take to the demonstration stage, including the Abbey’s very own head chef Bart Polinski, James Peck and Hannah Dunne from Ember, and Carmela Sereno Hayes, known as ‘Northampton’s queen of Italian cuisine’.
Tom Warner, the founder of Warner’s Distillery in Harrington, will run free gin tasting sessions throughout the weekend – and Josh Moinet, of VineBud in Towcester, will host a series of wine tasting sessions.
There will also be cheese and cocktail masterclasses hosted by experts in each of the fields, from venues across the county that have received rave reviews.
The food festival, organised by the team behind Towcester Food Festival and Bite Street, will take place on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, opening at 10am each day.
Free parking will be available on Delapré Abbey’s grounds. Tickets are now on sale, including early bird tickets priced at £10 per person and family tickets for £20.
Entry to the festival includes admission to the house. Guided tours will take place twice a day, or visitors can explore at their own leisure.
