The Dawnay Arms Inn

The Client

The Dawnay Arms Inn was bought at auction by chef Martel Smith and his wife Kerry, a former Hilton Restaurant Bar manager. The couple had previously owned a fine dining restaurant in Leeds and acquired the Dawnay Arms Inn following the birth of their first child.

Martel had heard of CHR through successful projects posted about on Twitter and he was interested to see what we could do for him.

The Brief

The main project concerns were initially energy consumption and potential savings to be had by switching from bottled gas to all electric.

The owners were also interested in renovating the kitchen area in terms of hardware and extraction methods. The kitchen at the Dawnay Arms Inn was previously fitted with several outdated cooking apparatuses which were – by their design – energy sapping and inefficient.

Energy Assessment

Due to their outdated kitchen, Martel and Kerry were paying just under £15000 p/a on their combined energy bill (313 days’ operation at 790.5 kwh p/d – average UK price of 6p per kwh).

In addition to this considerable expense, cleaning and maintenance was both inconvenient and costly.

Design

CHR worked together with Martel and Kerry to create a design that addressed cleaning and convenience concerns as well as offering substantial savings on their energy bill.

Design constraints were considerable due to a lack of space and preservation of some existing hardware. Martel had always previously worked with Bonnet gas suites and was sceptical about switching to Eco-Chef. However, after visiting the factory where the suite is manufactured, any reservations he had were quickly put to bed.

As well as improved ventilation and cooking hardware, CHR’s new design included a vinyl floor to assist with maintenance and cleaning. The company enlisted its specialist flooring contractor and advised on the kitchen’s new floor.

Installation

The client wished CHR to recycle wherever possible. This was better for the environment and helped to keep costs down. Through careful planning, half of the kitchen’s existing canopy was retained and a new, more efficient ventilation system was subsequently installed.

Martel himself was extremely hands-on and performed a substantial portion of the work himself with CHR’s direction. His dedication saw the Dawnay Arms Inn only close for a 2-week period. The closure was only partial as CHR happily loaned some portable induction hobs to the publicans.

Space constraints meant that the new range had to be manufactured in sections and brought into the kitchen piece-by-piece. By bringing the constituent parts through the front door and main bar, the kitchen wall did not need to be removed. This was particularly important for a space with such heritage.

Completion

Training and support was given from both CHR and the kitchen equipment’s key manufacturers. The client was extremely happy with the results. In total, Martel and Kerry’s new setup produced a net saving of over £11000 in energy costs over its first year.

With its new kitchen equipment in place, the Dawnay Arms Inn can continue to serve exquisite food to the people of Newton-on-Ouse, York.