The Sherborne
Hospitality is about people
SHERBORNE TIMES, MAY 2024
William Scott-Masson, Restaurant Manager
Of all the many who have made Sherborne House their home over the last 300 years, perhaps the most distinguished of its inhabitants was the actor William Charles Macready. Macready was successful and eminent in his day and shared comparable kudos and celebrity as predecessors Kemble and Garrick. During his tenure at Sherborne House, from 1850-60, Macready played host on many occasions to his great friends William Makepeace Thackeray and Charles Dickens. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote of Macready with much tenderness and admiration after he died in 1873. A plaque bearing the actor’s name can still be seen on the east wall of Sherborne House today.
It was the wish of our late founder, Michael Cannon, that the restaurant at Sherborne House be named in honour and memory of this much admired and, today, little-known king of the stage. All of us here wish to honour the memory and legacy of our founder. And it was Michael’s vision that made this opportunity particularly attractive to me – that we exist, in part, to help raise the funds to maintain and develop this wonderful project. In addition, opening a new restaurant has its own appeal. Assuming a managerial role in an already established restaurant means you are primarily expected to sing from the hymn sheet you are given. Conversely, with a new restaurant, one can be instrumental in composing the music, as it were.
While food and drink are our raison d’être, hospitality is about people. It is not just the quality of the food or the restaurant itself that is paramount; it is the entire experience. Our greatest aspiration is to give our guests exceptional service. It is about how we make our guests feel, and our level of care and attention to detail will determine that. Our staff have been chosen for their innate personality rather than relevant experience. There is, of course, no substitute for knowledge and that will be an essential element of their training, but foremost is the genuine warmth and care that our staff extend to every single guest who walks through our doors, whoever they are and whether they come for a four-course dinner or a morning coffee.
As Mahatma Gandhi once wisely said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ This powerful mantra encapsulates our philosophy at Macready’s. We believe that true joy in hospitality comes from selflessness and the sheer joy of giving. It’s this spirit that we bring to every interaction with our guests, making their experience at our restaurant truly memorable.
