CHRIS CUTS BACKON THE COURSES

Catering for diners watching their weight, the Alderley Edge Hotel, near Macclesfield, Cheshire has launched an innovative fine food menu, with the upgrading of classic British dishes.
Hotelier Ahmet Kurcer says that quality restaurants are often overfeeding customers with three¬ course set meals - and this concept has been abandoned by his forward-looking hotel.

"It becomes difficult to skip a course, but restaurants should be aware of falling out of step with modern eating habits," says Kurcer.

"Diners often count calories and colesterol and its wrong to tempt them to eat too much. If they want to cut down and still satisfy their appetite, they should be helped."

Head chef Chris Holland's unique menu combines ~ la carte and table d'hote into "a wider range of smaller, high quality dishes offering flexibility for customers to scale meals up or down."

And the relaxation does not end there. Formal bow-tied and waistcoated waiters are now wearing Swedish-designed uniform in keeping with a youthful team.

"Our traditional standards are as high as ever, but there are new patterns of eating that have placed different demands on all fine dining menus," added Kurcer.

Eat Out - June 2006