We Try The New Menu at Auckland Palace's Bishop's Kitchen

Bishop’s Kitchen’s new director of food and beverage, Simon Wright, has transformed the café’s approach to hospitality, matching the quality of its menu to that of The Auckland Project’s popular attractions. Simon will also oversee the 38-bedroom Park Head Hotel’s Oak Room restaurant and the El Castillo tapas restaurant, which offers a taste of Spain in the town.

The menu at Bishop’s Kitchen has always focused on produce grown within the palace grounds or sourced locally, and the new menu takes this offering to the next level. The new breakfast and brunch dishes now include a wider selection, and you no longer need to pre-book for afternoon tea, which looks especially tempting. But we simply couldn’t say no to the Bishop’s Board which has everything you could want, perfect for sharing.

We’re served sumptuous, hand-crafted sausage rolls, flavoursome cheese and onion quiche, sliced Spanish cured meats, thick sliced ham, Northumberland cheddar, sliced brie, palace chutney, seasoned butter and balsamic pickled onions, all on a wooden serving board. The highlight of our lunch though is the warm ‘plant pot’ bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Served in a plant pot, this soft bread makes tearing and sharing easy, and we appear to have started a trend as we see several nearby tables order one once they catch sight of ours.

We manage to save just enough room to browse the sweet treats that fill the counter. There’s too much choice, but we finally make the decision to share a slice of zesty lemon cake and a zingy white chocolate and passionfruit tart – both wonderfully refreshing.