08 Nov 2013
A new restaurant at a historic house in Nottingham is searching for the most romantic people in the UK in a bid to recruit a culinary team that "wears its heart on its sleeve".
Byron's Brasserie, the former ancestral home of poet Lord Byron, has created a special "romance test" to find the most starry-eyed waitresses and waiters in the country ahead of its opening next month. Applicants will be asked to name the most romantic thing they have ever done for a partner, the one word that best describes their current relationship and how passionate they feel they are as a person. They will even be asked to admit the last time they bought a present for a loved one - something that could leave some inattentive lovers red-faced.
The restaurant, which is opening at Colwick Hall, next to Nottingham Racecourse, early in November, is a beautiful Georgian mansion with its own gardens and lake adjacent to the river Trent. It is the former ancestral home of Lord Byron, one of Britain's greatest-ever poets, and is expected to soon become a must-visit venue for romantic dinners and other special occasions.
Mad, bad and dangerous to know, Lord Byron is famous the world over as a passionate lover and political revolutionary. Winning early fame as the most fashionable poet of Georgian England, Byron's swaggeringly good looks and his brilliant, reckless personality made him very popular with the ladies.
Manager Marieanne Ashley, who is carrying out interviews at Byron's Brasserie over the coming weeks, said she is determined to recruit a team of waiters and waitresses who wear their hearts on their sleeves and are likely to fit into the restaurant's passionate atmosphere. She added that the special "romance test" would be used - alongside more usual interview questions - to determine how suitable applicants are to work at the restaurant.
"Challenges from the Byron's Romance Test include the applicants choosing one of four words that best describes their current relationship, declaring the most romantic thing they've done at Valentines for their partner, and admitting candidly when they last bought a present for their loved one," she said. "And if a tie-breaker is needed, they will be asked to write their own 'Love Poem' to match Lord Byron's own efforts!"
ENDS
Notes
HISTORY OF COLWICK HALL
The earliest references to the Colwick estate occur on the death of William de Colwick in 1362, when it passed by the marriage of his daughter Joan to Sir Richard Byron, and into the Byron family. The Byrons lived at Colwick for over 150 years until about 1660, when they moved to Newstead Abbey and Colwick Hall came into the ownership of the Musters family.
In 1805 John Musters's son Jack married Mary Chaworth, Lord Byron's childhood love-interest from Annesley Hall, creating the name Chaworth-Musters by which the family is still known today. In 2004, Colwick Hall was sold to brothers Kumar and Selva Muthalagappan, who have lovingly restored it and ensured that its use as a hotel and restaurant has created a sustainable and lasting place for Colwick Hall in the Nottingham community. Selva is project-managing the creation of Byron's Brasserie, ably assisted by Marieanne Ashley and Head Chef Lee Morledge.
BYRON'S BRASSERIE:
For enquiries and table reservations - tel. 0115 908 2163
Colwick Hall, Colwick Park, Racecourse Road, Nottingham NG2 4BH
T: 0115 908 2163 E: eat@byronsbrasserie.com
PRESS INFORMATION, PHOTOS & REQUESTS:
Martin Evans, The Tourism Business - Tel. 07702 912938 - martin@thetourismbusiness.com
Divya Chavan, Sales Manager, Colwick Hall -
Tel. 0115 908 2152 - divya@colwickhallhotel.com
