In our latest wine column with Tennent’s Direct and Matthew Clark, SLTN visited Ingliston Estate & Country Club in Renfrewshire to talk excellent customer service with director Gary Clark.
Ingliston Estate & Country Club has been owned by the Fraser family for nearly twenty years, during which time they have transformed the venue into an acclaimed hotel and restaurant as well as a bustling events venue with three separate function spaces.
The Dish
21 day aged fillet steak with peppercorn sauce, chunky chips, mushrooms and tomato
The Wine
Catena Appellation Vista
Flores Malbec, Argentina
Ingliston has several facets to its business, including three function spaces, an RV park, horse livery, lodges and 32-bedroom hotel. How important is the Palomino’s restaurant to the operation?
Gary Clark, director: “Palomino’s is the jewel in the crown for Ingliston. If you’re getting married you’re going to be in here the night before, then you’ll be here for breakfast before you leave. The restaurant will be your first and last experience of Ingliston, so the service has got to be on point.”
You moved to Tennent’s quite recently. How has the company been to work with?
“It’s their aftercare: from helping us with menus to brand ambassadors coming in to helping with the wine lists. Just being really helpful. It’s been a really smooth transition.
“Tennent’s has also pushed us in the right direction of going ‘this is what people are wanting nowadays’. We moved away from having different types of Proseccos and different types of Champagnes, but then when you looked at the till no one was actually buying them. That was a lot of money sitting on the shelf.
“Tennent’s have pointed us in the direction of structuring it a lot better.”
How do you put the menu together and how often do you change it?
“It’s a team pulling together, from the banqueting chef to the head chef to the senior sous to the (owners) to restaurant managers – we all sit together. And the analytics side is a big part of it as well. We’ll go into our EPOS system and print out our best sellers.
“We change the menu twice a year. We change it in the spring and then just before we go into the autumn. People are wanting different things. Right now we’ve got one salad on there, but in the summer we’ve got five different salads.”
Why did you choose this particular wine and dish pairing?
“(Restaurant manager) Jo said a Malbec and I said a Rioja. She’s probably going off the fact that during the week it’s corporate guests in here and the guys are coming back, showering, coming down for their dinner and they’re getting a Malbec and a fillet steak. It’s the staple for the guys that are coming in here.
“It’s an Argentinian Malbec we’re selling right now and it’s lovely.”
How important a customer is Ingliston Estate & Country Club?
Sophie Birkbeck, regional sales manager, wine, Tennent’s Direct: “Ingliston Country Club is a fantastic venue and we at Tennent’s are delighted to work closely with them as their wine and drinks supply partner. Ingliston have built a reputation for top-class hospitality, with a premium food and wine offering that makes every visit feel special. Their team is brilliant to work with—always professional, friendly, and committed to creating great experiences. We’re proud to support them in delivering that for their guests.”
