carving trolley grand hotel brighton

Beef Carving Trolley in service for over 35 years thanks to Quality of Craftsmanship

In 2013, Heritage was privileged to work with The Grand Hotel Brighton to restore and return-to-service a beautiful roast beef carving trolley. The trolley had been in service for 35 years having originally been manufactured by Heritage Silverware.
The Grand hotel is a 200 bedroom, Victorian seafront hotel, renowned for its British cuisine. The Carving Trolley has been used regularly in the busy dining rooms of the hotel since the 1970s. The durability of the trolley bears testament to the superb quality of craftsmanship, typical of Heritage’s pieces.
To refurbish the trolley, which has a wood frame and is silver plated with a water bath and revolving dome, the company completely dismantled it before remaking missing, broken and worn parts. They then polished and re-silvered the iconic piece, which is now back in use and continuing to wow diners at The Grand Brighton.
Martin McDonagh, founder and managing director of Heritage, muses on the possible origins of the carving trolley: “In the 1930s, a top London restaurant regularly hosted chess matches. The restaurant manager needed a practical solution to serving food without interrupting the game. He came up with the idea of serving beef via a movable piece of furniture that would keep the food warm, and allow service, without disturbing the players’ game. It is possible that this is where the original carving trolley evolved from.”
Martin enthuses about the role of the carving trolley in adding a touch of elegance and theatre to the dining room: “Carving trolleys became hugely popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s. They are now experiencing something of a renaissance and are again seen as an iconic part of the British high-end dining experience. They are back in fashion as an eye-catching yet practical way of adding wow factor to the dining experience.”
Heritage was founded in 1976 and has always prided itself on the high-quality products it manufactures. It continues to manufacture carving trolleys, chafing trolleys and sweet trolleys to top end establishments wishing to offer the very best luxurious dining experience.
The company has manufactured carving trolleys and dessert trolleys as well as other luxury tableware, silverware and dinnerware to hotels and restaurants across the globe for over 40 years. This unassuming Birmingham factory is privileged to count top end establishments like The Ritz, The Dorchester, Firmdale and many others amongst its clients.