Sixty years after Relais & Châteaux was founded with a mission to delight travellers on their way across France, the association's UK & Ireland delegation is holding a delicious gourmet relay travelling the length and breadth of the British Isles.  The launch takes place at Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland, on April 27th and one by one, over the four months of summer, each of the 35 member properties will unveil its original 60th Anniversary Tasting Menu at a celebratory dinner, offering it to guests in the restaurant thereafter.  For more details of this and Relais & Châteaux's myriad 60th anniversary celebrations worldwide; visit: www.relaischateaux60.com

Created with seasonal local ingredients, equal measures of expertise and inspiration, and seasoned with creative talent, an autographed first edition of each 60th Anniversary Tasting Menu, signed by the chef and general manager, will be lodged in a commemorative Relais & Châteaux 60th anniversary album.  Starting with Cliff House Hotel on April 27th, the chef will carry the volume, Olympic-torch style, by air, land or sea on the next stage of its journey until it crosses the finish in style at The Goring in London on September 16th, a lasting testimony to the magical skills of 35 great chefs, and 60 years of peerless Relais & Châteaux hospitality.  

From the launch dinner at Cliff House on April 27th, Relais & Châteaux's 60th Anniversary Gourmet Relay will cross Ireland visiting Sheen Falls Lodge on May 9, Park Hotel Kenmare on May 10, Marlfield House on May 22 and Ballyfin Demesne on May 24.  Crossing the Irish Sea it will reach Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth, Wales, on May 30.  In June, six celebration dinners will take place in The Cotswolds, Bath and Devon; July takes the relay to Jersey, the New Forest, West Sussex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire (ten properties). In August it makes nine stops in the Lake District, Cumbria and Scotland; before spending September in London where Relais & Châteaux's Hibiscus, Le Gavroche and The Goring bring the relay to a glamorous metropolitan climax. 

To reserve a place at one of the Relais & Châteaux UK & Ireland 60th Anniversary Gourmet Celebration dinners visit: www.relaischateaux60.com or call 0800 2000 0002;  The 60th Anniversary Menus will be available to view online and offered in respective restaurants throughout the summer 2014.  Prices start from £100 per person. 

About Relais & Châteaux :

Relais & Châteaux is an exclusive collection of more than 520 of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in 60 countries.  Established in France in 1954, the Association's mission is to spread its unique art de vivre across the globe by selecting outstanding properties with a truly unique character.  Relais & Châteaux is also a family of hoteliers and Grands Chefs from all over the world who share a passion for and a personal commitment to ensuring their guests are privy to moments of exceptional harmony.  To choose Relais & Châteaux is to experience an unforgettable celebration of the senses. From the vineyards in Napa valley to the beaches of the Fiji Islands, from the olive trees in Provence to the lodges in South Africa, Relais & Châteaux offers a chance to explore the Route du Bonheur and best way to discover a wide range of distinctive destinations.  The Relais & Châteaux signature reflects this ambition: 

“ALL AROUND THE WORLD, UNIQUE IN THE WORLD.”

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For further information please contact:

Jane Parritt

Tel: 01367820766

Email: jane@mediacontactspr.co.uk