Bath Food and Drink

A guide to eating and drinking in Bath

Bath Food and Drink

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Hole in the Wall

Hole in the Wall - Bath Restaurant

Originally known as The Cellar, the venue was given the nickname Hole in the Wall by US servicemen just after the Second World War, and the name stuck.

Renowned as the birthplace for haute cusine in Britain, this legendary establishment was opened in 1952 by innovative chef and restauranteur George Perry-Smith with his partner Kit Hammond-Spencer. Perry-Smith introduced into British restaurant culture menus that were radically different from the norm in the 1950s, in terms of both the nature of the food and the range of dishes available.

He had no formal culinary training, but did have a natural talent for cooking. Taking inspiration from domestic cookery books, he developed many of his own recipes, but was also keen to follow the suggestions of the influential food writer Elizabeth David. Perry-Smith developed a drive for uncompromising excellence and was always anxious to buy fresh ingredients from local suppliers. He became widely acknowledged as the father of the best of post-war English cooking.…

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