One of the country’s leading maritime destinations and home to three of the most important ships ever built - the Mary Rose (pictured), HMS Victory and HMS Warrior 1860 – is offering guests a taste of the past with seasonal menus inspired by history, created by newly appointed hospitality provider BaxterStorey.
The menus give a subtle nod to history with cuisine that pay homage to the ships, including; stone baked pizzas inspired by the oven found on board the Mary Rose when she was raised from the Solent in 1982 and traditional fish and chips.
Each dish is prepared using fresh, seasonal, sustainable produce from a number of local farmers and artisan suppliers including; Solent Butchers, Portsmouth Tea, Mary Rose Ale and Isle of Wight Gin, Biglands Bakery and The Real Jam & Chutney co. from Southampton and New Forest Ice Cream.
Surrounded by spectacular history and outstanding views the dockyard offers a unique backdrop for a culinary trip through time. Restaurants for attraction visitors on the 12-acre site include Boathouse 7, Boathouse 4 and the Mary Rose Café located in the same building as the only 16th Century warship on display anywhere in the world.
For a completely unique experience BaxterStorey hospitality is also available to hire among other providers for private and corporate guests. They can banquet next to the Mary Rose or on board both HMS Warrior 1860, once the largest and most powerful warship in the world and HMS Victory, The Royal Navy’s most famous warship and the oldest commissioned warship in the world.
Sarah Miller, Regional Managing Director at BaxterStorey, said, “Attraction visitors can enjoy a freshly brewed coffee or a slice of homemade cake at the Mary Rose exhibit café or have a meal in one of the onsite restaurants with menus inspired by the rich history of the site. We felt it was important to incorporate historic references within our menu to try and bring the amazing story of the dockyard to life.”
“Our hospitality services are also now available to hire for corporate guests and private functions for the ultimate dining experience on board some of the world’s most famous ships. Private hire events in the Mary Rose Exhibit give guests the opportunity to quite literally breathe in the same air as the iconic Mary Rose while fine dining.”
Peter Emery, Director of Operations at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, said, “Our restaurants and cafes are open to the public seven days a week and often used by our local community as well as the many visitors and staff, so it was really important for us to appoint a reliable hospitality provider with a passion for locally sourced produce.
'The dockyard represents an important part of Portsmouth’s history and attracts a large number of guests daily so our dining options had to meet the high-standards expected. So far we have been really pleased with BaxterStorey’s enthusiasm and approach.”
Situated within a working Naval Base, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the only place in the world to see the Royal Navy past, present and future and is a must see for anyone visiting the south of England.