From tasting to table: Creating Cheltenham’s Hospitality menus

When guests start to arrive on Friday 23 October for the anticipated return of the Jumps season at Cheltenham Racecourse, the focus will naturally be on the racing, the atmosphere and enjoying a memorable day with friends, family or colleagues.

For those experiencing Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality, exceptional food is an important part of the occasion, from carefully considered seasonal menus to dishes created specifically for the unique atmosphere of a race day.

But creating great Cheltenham hospitality menus is a process that begins long before guests take their seats. Every race day at Cheltenham is different, but menus always need to fantastic, look impressive and work within the fast-paced environment of a busy race day. With large numbers of guests dining across Prestbury Park, consistency and quality are just as important as creativity.

Behind every menu is considerable thought, preparation and collaboration from Cheltenham’s culinary team. One of the most important stages in that process is the menu tasting.

A tasting provides an opportunity to bring a menu to life before it reaches the guest, generating valuable feedback. It allows chefs to experience each dish as it will be served, consider how the menu works as a whole and identify where seasonal and sustainable ingredients can be used to their best effect.

We spoke to Regional Executive Chef Warren O’Connor at Cheltenham Racecourse about the importance of menu tastings, how dishes are refined and what goes into creating the menus ready for the Jumps season.

What goes into creating a hospitality menu for the Cheltenham season?

Tastings are a really important part of the menu development process because they give us the chance to experience the food exactly as our guests will. It is an opportunity to step back, look at the menu as a whole and make sure every dish delivers the quality, flavour and presentation we aim for. It is also about the details that guests may never see.

We consider how a dish looks when it arrives, how the flavours work together, portion sizes and how practical it is to serve and enjoy during a busy race day. For us, the tasting is where we can challenge the menu and make improvements before it reaches the restaurant. We might adjust a flavour, change an element of the presentation or even rethink a dish entirely if it isn’t quite right.

Ultimately, guests come to Cheltenham to enjoy a premium experience, and food plays an important part. The tasting process gives us the confidence that when the menu is served, every element has been carefully considered and is worthy of the occasion.

What makes a great Cheltenham hospitality menu?

Creating food for Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality means finding the right balance between creativity, quality and practicality. A dish might look perfect in the kitchen, but it also needs to work when it is being served to large numbers of guests in a busy hospitality environment. There are a lot of elements we consider during a tasting. First and foremost, the food must taste exceptional, but we also look at how the dishes work together as a complete menu. We want to create a good balance of flavours, textures, colours and variety, while making the most of the ingredients available at that time of year.

How important is seasonality and sustainability?

We want to use ingredients when they’re at their best and in season, so we consider what’s fresh, what’s locally available and how we can showcase the quality of the produce in a way that feels right for Cheltenham.

Sustainability is always at the forefront of our minds when we are developing menus. We’re looking at ways to reduce the amount of red meat we use, introduce more game and plant-based options, and work with suppliers who share our focus on more environmentally conscious sourcing. It’s about making responsible choices while still creating food that guests are genuinely excited to eat.

This approach means that the menus can reflect the time of year while also showcasing a range of ingredients and cooking styles. Game, seasonal produce and plant-based dishes can all play a role in creating a varied hospitality experience.

How do you cater for every guest?

We want everyone to feel considered, so we look at how we can create vegetarian, vegan and other dietary options that are just as thoughtful and exciting as the main menu, rather than simply making substitutions. We also consider allergens carefully to understand exactly what goes into each dish and ensure guests can be accommodated safely and confidently. The aim is for everyone to have a great experience, whatever their dietary requirements.

For a major racing event, this preparation is particularly important. With thousands of guests visiting across the Cheltenham Festival, menus need to be carefully planned so that a wide range of dietary needs can be catered for without compromising on quality or experience.

Where do you get inspiration for presentation?

Presentation is another key part of the tasting process. Guests eat with their eyes first, so how a dish looks and arrives at the table can make a real difference to the overall experience. We go one step further and put ourselves in the guest’s position. Is the portion size right? Is it easy and enjoyable to eat? Does it suit the hospitality environment? And, importantly, can we deliver the same quality and presentation consistently when we’re serving large numbers of guests?

This is where the tasting becomes more than simply sampling the food. It is an opportunity to consider the complete dining experience, from the first impression of a dish to how it tastes and how easily it can be enjoyed by guests.

Which dish are you most excited about serving this season?

It is difficult to choose just one. We have worked hard on adding game meat to our menus for the upcoming season as part of our continued focus on more sustainable menu development. A dish that really stood out at the tasting was pheasant and guinea fowl pithivier with potato rosti, prunes and kale.There are some fantastic flavours throughout the dish and I am really excited for guests to try it for the first time at Cheltenham.

Another is the loin of wild venison with Hasselback potato, bletted medlars, blackberry and Banyuls jus. We tested serving venison on Gold Cup Day during the Cheltenham Festival in 2026, and it will feature prominently on our menus throughout the upcoming season.

These dishes demonstrate how the culinary team is looking to combine seasonal ingredients and more sustainable choices with the premium dining experience expected from Cheltenham hospitality.

A Process Worth Perfecting

From the first ideas on paper during the quieter months at the Home of Jump Racing to the final dish served at race night in May, creating the menus at Cheltenham Racecourse is a team effort.

Months of planning, tasting and refining go into making sure every element is ready for the moment guests take their seats. Seasonal ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, presentation, service and those all-important finishing touches each have a part to play in creating a memorable Cheltenham race day dining experience.

Guests may never see everything that happens behind the scenes, and nor should they. Instead, they can arrive on race day knowing that every detail has been carefully considered, leaving them free to enjoy the racing action, the atmosphere and, of course, every course on the menu.