Hi everyone, Tom & Lauren here.

It doesn’t seem five minutes since we sat down to write our August update, and we hope you enjoyed a glimpse inside the building in our latest video, which you can watch here if you haven’t yet seen it.

As we head into October, we’ve finally had chance to sit down to update you on what happened last month as we work towards welcoming you back to the Acres.

We’re continuing to make great progress, and each day, old (and new) corners of the Acres are slowly coming to life.

One of the first major jobs in the project plan was to quite literally rebuild our kitchen which was destroyed in the fire. We’re delighted to report that the footprint and walls for the new kitchen are now almost complete, and we were excited to receive the renders for our redesigned kitchen from Greens Kitchens just last week.

So, with this exciting development in mind, we sat down with Tom to find out what’s in store for our state-of-the-art new space!

Tom, tell us a bit about why you have chosen Greens to work with on your new kitchen?

I decided to go with Greens Kitchens primarily because of the excellent service and quality of the finish of our previous kitchen they supplied and installed in March 2023, just nine months before the fire happened. We’re also keen to work with local businesses wherever possible, and Greens are based in Huddersfield not far at all from the Acres, which is great.

I really value our working relationship with Richard Greenway, owner and director of the company, and his attention to detail and close relationship with Control Induction was a primary driver in our decision.

I’m really looking forward to working with them both once again.

Can you let us in to some of the gadgets in the new kitchen that you’re most excited about?

I’m very excited about the Josper woodfired grill which we were so proud of having when it was installed the first time around last March. Nothing tastes quite like a steak cooked on a Josper!

We are also reinstating a Rotisol rotisserie, which not only works well, but with its black enamel and brass accessories, looks great in a commercial kitchen.

Finally, our new addition is an MKN Flexichef Brat Pan – a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that will aid us in far more efficient cooking practices, while helping reduce our energy consumption and overheads, whilst simultaneously and–most importantly–be used to perfect an array of dishes, such as The 3 Acres infamous French Onion Soup!

Have you used this opportunity to make any improvements to the kitchen you had before?

To be honest, there was very little I would have wanted to change about the previous kitchen. It was state of the art and the chefs and I were incredibly proud to work in it.

However, this process has provided the opportunity for us to develop some other areas of the kitchen, which is quite a vast space. For example, we’ve decided to extend the pastry kitchen where our bakery will now be incorporated.

With Richard’s help and expertise, we have moved a few things around to ensure a better flow and more efficient communication in the kitchen during busy service hours.

Are you looking to add to the kitchen team ahead of The 3 Acres reopening?

Absolutely! We are always looking for enthusiastic, talented and hardworking chefs to join our brigade of chefs, which currently stands at fifteen.

Specifically, and in the immediate future, we will be looking to recruit into the roles of Commis and Chef-de-Partie. It is worth noting however, that I am always on the lookout for people who have not necessarily worked in the industry before, or those who may fancy a career change and want to work in a fast-paced and rewarding state-of-the-art kitchen, with a great team of people.

Send me an email on tomtruelove@3acres.com if that’s you!

And the question on everyone’s lips…when will the new kitchen be ready to go?

The current start date for installation of the new kitchen is December. It’s difficult to say when it will be finished, as there are a lot of moving parts involved in the fabrication of the kitchen, however I can safely say that it’ll be finished in time for our reopening!

I’m really looking forward to having a happy and invigorated team of chefs to work alongside myself, and under the skilful eye of Head Chef, Tom Davies. Tom has played a pivotal role in the redesign of the kitchen – it’s very much been a collaborative project.

I can’t wait to be in there in early 2025, fire up the Josper grill, get the induction stove ticking over, and start perfecting those Acres classic flavours which will play centre stage on our opening menu.

We’ll be in touch again soon.

Tom & Lauren x