As spring blooms across Kent, Chilston Park Hotel's Head Chef Ali Altuntas shares his passion for garden-fresh ingredients and seasonal cooking.
With the hotel's terraces ready for the alfresco dining season, we caught up with Chef Ali to discover how he brings the vibrant flavours of spring to your plate.
Q: How does using home-grown vegetables affect the flavours in your dishes?
Chef Ali: Using home-grown vegetables truly enhances the flavor of every dish. They're free from chemicals, offering a natural taste that's hard to match. Fresh herbs straight from our garden pack a much more vibrant, intense flavour profile. Plus, growing our own food is an environmentally sustainable choice, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting a healthier planet – something we're committed to at Chilston Park.
Q: Spring is perfect for foraging. How do you incorporate foraged ingredients into your menu?
Chef Ali: Foraging offers a treasure trove of ingredients that elevate our cooking with bold, natural flavours. In our Chilston gardens, spring brings wild garlic, a variety of herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano, as well as early-season fruits.
The beauty of foraging is zero waste—it's cost-free, with no travel required.
Everything goes from garden to plate, guaranteeing the freshest ingredients and the most authentic flavours, all without any chemicals to make them look artificially fresh. Our guests can taste the difference when dining on our terrace, surrounded by the very gardens where these ingredients originated.
Q: Which spring crops are worth growing for maximum flavour?
Chef Ali: Last year was a real learning experience in terms of which varieties are worth the effort. Mixed salad leaves, early cucumbers, and beetroots all performed exceptionally well, offering great taste and versatility. Carrots are also fantastic – we even use the carrot tops as an excellent garnish for starters.
For extra flavours, I'd recommend specific varieties like "Cylindra" beetroots for their unique shape and sweetness or "Nantes" carrots for their crisp, sweet bite. When it comes to herbs, varieties like "Lemon Thyme" or "Purple Basil" can really elevate spring dishes. These varieties not only taste incredible but also offer a richer, more vibrant flavour profile in the kitchen – perfect for our spring and early summer menus.
Q: Tell us about growing your own herbs and how that benefits your cooking.
Chef Ali: Growing our own herbs offers incredible benefits for cooking and beyond. It's a perfect way to connect with food as medicine—herbs are packed with healing properties that support both body and mind. In our kitchen, tending to our herb garden is a calming, mindful practice, helping to lower stress levels during busy service times.
It's also a wonderful opportunity for our team to truly understand food provenance, knowing exactly where our ingredients come from and how they're cultivated. This connection to the source deepens our appreciation for the flavours we work with and elevates the entire dining experience for our guests, especially when enjoying meals outdoors in the spring sunshine.
Q: Microgreens seem to be everywhere these days. How do you use them in your spring menu?
Chef Ali: Microgreens are a fantastic addition to our spring dishes, offering vibrant colour, intense flavours, and a cost-effective way to elevate presentation. They have a very short shelf life and start to lose their vitality quickly, so we harvest them just before service to ensure peak freshness.
These tiny greens pack bold flavours – we even use micro thyme creatively on desserts like tiramisu, replacing artificial colorants with natural beauty and flavour. Their versatility makes them perfect for garnishing our spring starters and mains, enhancing both the look and taste of dishes served on our terrace, where guests can appreciate the connection between our gardens and their plate.
Q: How important is local sourcing to your spring menu?
Chef Ali: Our food provenance is proudly local, sourced from Kent. Watts Farm in Kent and Essex provides us with fresh spring vegetables and micro herbs. For quality meats, we rely on Salvatori, who source lamb, beef, and chicken from various local farms. Fresh fish comes from Dover, Folkestone, and Rye, while our eggs are sourced from a farm just 12 miles from the hotel.
We are committed to supporting local producers and delivering the finest, freshest ingredients to our guests. This commitment shines brightest in spring, when Kent's produce is at its most vibrant and flavourful, making it the perfect season to experience dining at Chilston Park Hotel.
Join us this spring at Chilston Park Hotel and experience Chef Ali's seasonal creations on our terrace. From garden to table, every dish tells the story of Kent's abundant spring harvest.
