The New Club

Latest News from the Club

A Night of Opera

A magnificent night of opera was hosted at The New Club in April. Four professional singers from Longborough Opera entertained our members with some of the best-known operatic arias there are. The magnificent hall and Regency staircase provided the perfect setting for acoustics, drama and beauty. It was followed by a black-tie dinner in the Art Deco dining room. Compliments have since flowed for our Head of House Marilyn Burn, who organised what some have said was the best event the Club has ever hosted. Due to popular demand there will be another Opera Evening in November.

Gold Cup Racing Dinner

A packed dinner party at The New Club Cheltenham, attracted a very large collection of owners and trainers and people allied to the Cheltenham Festival, prior to this year's events.

They came to hear Kim Baillie discussing the trails and successes of a being a successful racehorse trainer, which was a fascinating talk. 62 people enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Art-Deco dining room and they left after a long and happy evening.

Lecture Supper

To celebrate International Women's Day, we enjoyed a marvellous lecture supper with the legendary Headmistress of Cheltenham Ladies College, Eve Jardine-Young.

Eve enraptured The New Club's audience with the challenges and joys of the education of young women in this country today. We were truly inspired as she recounted the alumnae of the College, who are now all over the world reaching new heights throughout their careers, which previous generations could not have thought possible.

61 members listened to her every word which was followed by a delicious dinner in our beautiful art-deco dining room.

Also photographed in red, is Marilyn Burn, another inspirational woman, a former barrister who is now Head of House of The New Club and she too is causing the Renaissance of this illustrious club.

Pancake Day

The first-ever Pancake Day Lunch was enjoyed by many members on Shrove Tuesday. For a change, the photographer spent most of the time in the kitchen, watching our Master Chef Carl tossing over 200 pancakes before lunch! 

It began with smoked salmon on buckwheat blinis with scrambled eggs. Then the main course consisted of savoury ham, mushroom and chicken pancakes with cheese sauce and tenderstem broccoli. But the best was to come: Carl skilfully made Crepe Suzette sauce with Cointreau flames, dipped in pancakes that were pre-filled with hand-prepared orange segments, then served with homemade vanilla ice cream. A lot of people were nervous about getting on their weighing scales the next day!

"An Evening at Ronnie Scott's"

Totally organised by our Head of House Marilyn Burn, we had an evening every club member will remember forever! This morning, scores of compliments have been received and they all described the evening as "totally exceptional", "the best event the club has ever put on", "the jazz was of international quality", "the musicians could have held the stage at any international event", "the singer was as good as Ella FitzGerald", "the food was the best we have ever had", "have never enjoyed ourselves more, anywhere", "incredible value for money", "it was simply brilliant from beginning to end" - and so on.

Marilyn transformed our beautiful Regency hall with its fabulous wrought iron curved staircase into a nightclub, with low lighting, small round candle-lit tables, black cloths, and delicate chairs, whilst the musicians played some of the finest traditional and modern jazz that exists. Dom Franks, saxophone, Alex Steele, international jazz pianist and Hannah Davey, a superb professional opera and jazz singer entertained our members for an hour. It was mesmerising and the musicians received tumultuous applause at the end of their sets.

More was to come with what turned out to be one of our master chef Carl's finest ever meals. It began with Waldorf Salad, followed by a palate cleanser of gin and lemon sorbet, but the seabass layered with spinach and saffron mash and served with mussels in a saffron sauce was one of the finest fish dishes we have ever tasted. This was completed by a light-as-air New York baked Cheesecake with a salted caramel sauce. Carl was dragged from the kitchen and cheered by the appreciative members.

Now how do we follow that?!

Lecture Supper

A record 61 members attended a superb lecture given by Nick Nelson, an expert on many artistic subjects. This time he told the story of how 18th century English aristocrats made difficult journeys to Europe. There they certainly enjoyed themselves in every way, but also brought home many artefacts, paintings, sculptures and objets d'art, which now adorn the stately homes of England. 

 More talks to follow about The Grand Tour to Venice, to Rome and to Florence. It was followed by a delicious dinner prepared by Carl, our master chef, who actually prepared a dinner of the 18th century in the beautiful Art Deco dining room.

Chinese New Year 2025

A packed club was decorated with Chinese lights and many mementos of Chinese life throughout the club. Soon members arrived for drinks and chats and we were delighted that Julie Kent MBE joined Marilyn Burn, our Head of House, as a guest. Course after course of Chinese food was laid before the members and they relished it. 

Hoots of laughter were heard and it was agreed 'The Year of the Snake' was duly launched!

Burns Night

A great evening was held for Burns Night. Many members assembled, some in full evening Scottish tartan to celebrate (a few days early admittedly) the birthday of Rabbie Burns.

The haggis was carried in proudly by our master chef Carl, who presented it to one of our members, Colin Campbell, resplendent in his clan tartan, who toasted it in Rabbie Burns' famous words. Then he and Carl raised a wee dram to it, and Colin pierced it with his dagger.

Colin toasted the lassies, a subject close to Rabbie Burns' heart, as when he died at 37 he left 13 children by 4 women! Annabell Campbell responded brilliantly on behalf of the lassies, and the we all tucked in...

Choir at Christmas 2024

The New Club's very own choir performed an hour long concert for a record number of over one hundred members on 23rd December to celebrate Christmas. Familiar carols were interspersed with jolly Christmas songs from all over the world. It was followed by a buffet of delicious canapés prepared by Carl, our master chef and it was considered one of the best events of the year. Many thanks to our conductor Roger Maggs, leader Rosie Costelloe, Bettina Carr-Allinson and Mario Malt for their hard work to arrange such a magnificent performance. 

Christmas Dinner 2024

A wonderful sophisticated Christmas dinner was held at The New Club Cheltenham recently. A superb festive duck dinner was prepared by Carl our master chef and his team and it was all set in our beautiful new Art -Deco dining room.

Ladies Lunch and Fashion Show by Bodega

A packed dining room waited in anticipation for the fashion show produced by Bodega, which was the highlight of The New Club's Ladies Lunch. Many models showed the members the latest trends in fashion - (layers) and they all enjoyed their professional skills. A delicious lunch was also prepared by Carl and all the ladies had a lovely afternoon, thanks to the efforts of Felicity Davies and Sally Dimmer. Photos to follow.

A visit to Wells Cathedral

A very happy day was spent when 30 members visited Wells Cathedral in December. The initial sightings of the Cathedral were breathtaking to everyone, with a powerful size, grandeur, beauty and perfection. Guided tours gave us further knowledge of its origins and interesting history. The day was completed when a New Club member was lucky enough to witness the swans pulling the bell on the Bishop's Palace gatehouse to be fed bread, as generations of swans have done since 1851! 

Cocktail Party with a top London mixologist

The club turned into a virtual nightclub this November for an intimate cocktail party.

Curtains were drawn, candles were lit, and tables were decorated. A top mixologist from London arrived and mixed the most beautiful concoctions. A young student from the Guildhall College of Music provided entertainment for everyone throughout and some members even danced during an unforgettable evening.

Josh's Favourite Dinner

With our head chef Carl, on holiday, our young sous-chef Josh, had a chance to shine and he wowed a full dining room with a substituted Guy Fawkes dinner of delicious caramelised goat's cheese tartlet, a warming Boeuf Bourguignon and a light-as-air lemon and raspberry posset. The club buzzed with conversation and laughter all evening.

Bangers and Mash - The Guy Fawkes Supper!

Our latest New Club supper evening celebrated Guy Fawkes night! It was preceded by our chairman Denis Woulfe, giving a fascinating half-hour talk on last week's budget and the results of the presidential election. It was followed by delicious sausages and mash supper, cooked for the first time by our sous chef, Josh. It was a great success with a marvellous atmosphere and everyone praised Josh's good work.

Pizza Party

A large number of members gathered together to enjoy an informal Pizza Party on 13th October. Chef Carl excelled himself again and produced a first course of 'Zucchini Fritti', followed by four delicious hand-made pizzas from different parts of Italy. With a 'Sicilian Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbet' to finish the dinner, everyone felt more than satisfied and very happy.

A Morning on the Gallops

The group of 28 members assembled at 8am at Jackdaws Castle, Jonjo O'Neill's yard in Ford. After coffee in the Owner's Suite, we collected the worksheet before heading off to the stable yard to watch the morning's warm-up.

We followed the horses onto one of the gallops, viewing them work under the watchful eye of Jonjo and his team, whilst taking in the stunning Cotswold scenery.

The group then returned to the yard to watch a horse swim in the equine pool, and then use the solarium. Following this, the group were guided around the yard, and given a bag of carrots to feed the horses and learn about their history.

Our members returned to the Owner's Suite for a hearty full English breakfast where they were joined by Jonjo for a chat and a photo opportunity with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Our thanks go to Jacqui O'Neill and her team who guided the visit and answered members' questions. The hospitality and management were excellent and we presented the yard with a donation to the Injured Jockeys Fund.

The overriding feeling of members was that we had experienced a premier facility showing how much was involved in training racehorses today.

The Roaring 20s

Sixty of our members joined us for a 'Roaring 20s' evening to celebrate the opening of our brand new dining room. One of our members designed it herself in a glorious Art-Deco style with sparkling Art-Deco chandeliers and furniture, bevelled glass panels, all set in a teal coloured room.

Everything is new, the carpet, curtains, a stunning Art Deco mirror, some of which were most generously donated by Lorenzo. Attention to detail has provided us with new chrome door handles, table lights, 1930 wall lights, wine lists, black napkins and black and white china. The old cupboards have been replaced by Art Deco cupboards and even the dining room door has a mural to set the scene - "It's time to drink champagne and dance on the tables!".

We began with free champagne, kindly provided by our Chairman, Denis Woulfe OBE and then the entertainment began! The party was soon dancing in the coffee room, though our Charleston skills left a lot to be desired! The gong then sounded and excitedly, members entered into a glamorous world of jazz - all glittering mirrors and swooping chandeliers with ostrich feathers and flowers in giant urns, skilfully arranged by Lorenzo.

People have been kind enough to say that it is now the most beautiful dining room in Cheltenham.

A Visit to Christ Church College

44 New Club members made a private visit to Christ Church College was arranged by our Head of House, who has strong connections with the College. Besides having coffee in the Senior Common Room, home of the dons, we were above all allowed to have lunch in the most famous Great Hall of Christ Church, (otherwise known as "Hogwarts Hall")! We also saw a brand new stained glass window in the Cathedral, which serves Christ Church; the first since 1832. Then we visited the private library with books there worth millions. Finally, we saw the private gardens. It was a"once in a lifetime" visit none of us will ever forget.

A Visit to Malvern College

42 of us visited public school, Malvern College in June. We had a private organ recital in the chapel which was marvellous, were taken on a tour of the school, had coffee in The Grub and saw the very impressive Sports Hall, with vast swimming pool, indoor courts for all sports and recreation facilities.

In the afternoon, we visited the private home of the Lygon /Chenevix-Trench family at glorious Madresfield Court, Malvern. This was the house on which Evelyn Waugh based his book of "Brideshead Revisited", where the family trauma of the Earl Beauchamp's family of 1930 began and ended, whose grim story was told during the day.

Afternoon Tea in the Secret Garden

A glorious afternoon in the Secret Garden, eating one of Carl's famous afternoon teas (prosecco, finger sandwiches, fruit scones, raspberry tarts, macaroons, cakes too numerous to mention and all utterly delicious, and of course, tea) under the shade of a weeping silver birch, listening to Gershwin, Cole Porter and all the standards played by Dom on sax and Eddy on jazz piano.

Quiz Night

Another fun evening, with everyone pretending not be wildly competitive, and culminating in a light supper.

A Taste of Sicily: Dinner on the terrace of the Gran Timeo, Taormina

64 members, including 25 of the Bridge Club who had large tables together in the Bar and the Coffee Room, and who took part in a bridge themed quiz, enjoyed an authentic Sicilian menu for the last Club Supper before the dining room closed for redecoration.

An Evening in the Caribbean

Starting with an hour's dancing and a conga around the Club, the evening was a roaring success. Ryan could scarcely keep up with the demand for his rum punches, the dining room was transformed into a Caribbean hideaway, and there was what seemed an endless selection of Caribbean dishes.

Lecture Supper: Marilyn Burn on "The Trials of a Barrister"

We had a fascinating, informative and funny talk from Marilyn Burn about the Trials of a Barrister, interspersing lots of interesting facts about the outer bar and the first silks being QCs in the reign of Elizabeth I with tales of the extraordinary situations a barrister, especially when the barrister is still a baby barrister, finds herself in. It ended with highly amusing stories of some of her clients' experiences which had the audience longing for more.

A Taste of Normandy

A hugely successful evening with a fabulous Duck Confit and delicious cheeses that were out of this world!