New owner of The Rutland Arms Hotel reveals their first food offering.

Cheese and wine are quite simply a match made in heaven. A glass of bold red with a sharp, roof-of-your-mouth-burning cheddar. A peppy Riesling with a creamy cheese alongside ripe fruit. Delicioso.

Tapping into our love of this classic pairing is The Rutland Arms Hotel in Newmarket, which has recently re-opened under the new ownership of Review Hotels (owner of Bedford Lodge Hotel).

The cheese and wine bar at Carriages, within the hotel, will be open from 5pm to 11pm Wednesdays and Thursdays, from noon to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdaysm and from noon to 6pm on Sundays.

Noel Byrne, chief executive at Rutland Arms Hotel and Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa, said: “The launch of the wine and cheese bar is one of the first in a series of renovations we’re undertaking since acquiring Rutland Arms Hotel. We want to create a space for people to relax and unwind over a glass of wine or Champagne while catching up with friends or family.

“Our ongoing plans to invest, refurbish and develop Rutland Arms Hotel, creating new jobs along the way and ultimately a space for guests and the local community to enjoy, are firmly underway and we’re excited to see them come to fruition.”

Cheese platters from the British Isles, France, Spain and Italy, alongside charcuterie, will be served in the bar, complemented by over 40 wines, specially selected for their pairing characteristics. Many of the wines and Champagnes will be available by the glass thanks to the hotel’s investment in the Coravin system, enabling vino to be poured without being corked, leaving it unspoilt.

Cheeses being showcased include an underground matured cheddar from Westcombe in Somerset, one of only two Colston Bassett Stiltons that’s hand-ladled and made with vegetarian rennet, and Suffolk’s own earthy, mushroomy raw Brie-style cheese, Baron Bigod from Fen Farm Dairy.

The French selection board comprises a classic Brie de Meaux, tangy Tomme de Savoie and a salty St Agur, all from small, independent suppliers.