Hosted by Number Eight owner-chef Stuart Gillies, the exclusive Guest Chef Night will see Kevin Gratton, Chef of the Café Royal Grill at the five-star Hotel Café Royal on Regent Street, present a menu shaped by a distinguished career spent in some of Britain’s most celebrated kitchens.

This September, Number Eight in Sevenoaks, Kent, will welcome acclaimed chef Kevin Gratton for a one-night-only dinner celebrating exceptional British cooking.

Taking place on Wednesday 23 September 2026, the evening forms part of Number Eight’s Guest Chef Series, a programme of special events curated by owner-chef Stuart Gillies that brings some of the hospitality industry’s most respected chefs to Sevenoaks. Following a run of sold-out dinners, the series gives guests the opportunity to experience the cooking of leading chefs within the intimate surroundings of Stuart’s neighbourhood restaurant.

For the September event, Kevin will take over the Number Eight kitchen to present his own menu, rooted in classical technique, British seasonality and exceptional produce. Drawing upon his extensive career and his current role as Chef of the Café Royal Grill, the menu will bring the nostalgic flavours and refined yet generous style of one of London’s most historic dining rooms to Kent.

Kevin’s career spans more than 30 years at some of Britain’s most influential restaurants. Originally from Derbyshire, he began his career in Yorkshire before moving to London to work with Marco Pierre White at The Canteen in Chelsea Harbour and later The Oak Room. He went on to join Le Caprice, where he first met and worked alongside Stuart Gillies and later became Head Chef. He went on to open Scott’s in Mayfair as Executive Chef, before overseeing Soho House’s UK kitchens and spending seven years as Chef Director and Group Executive Chef for HIX Restaurants, working closely with Mark Hix.

Today, Kevin is Chef of the Café Royal Grill, where his cooking draws inspiration from iconic Parisian brasseries and the renowned grill rooms of London’s West End, offering a fresh interpretation of this golden era through seasonal British ingredients and an accessible style that feels both familiar and comforting. He is also founder of Samphire + Sage, his hospitality consultancy and events business.

Kevin’s menu at Number Eight will begin with Smoked Salmon ‘Café Royal’ with Horseradish, accompanied by bowls of Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps and Cheese ‘n’ Onion Croquettes. This will be followed by the iconic Café Royal Salad, combining pear, endive, Roquefort and toasted walnuts.

The menu will continue with Red-legged Partridge on Yorkshire Toast with elderberries, before a course of Rye Bay Gurnard with rich bone sauce and coastal greens, served alongside mousseline potatoes. To conclude, Kevin will present the timeless French dessert Île Flottante with seasonal blackberries.

Stuart and Kevin have remained close friends since first working together at Le Caprice and are looking forward to being reunited at Number Eight, while no doubt recalling a few stories from their years in the high-octane world of professional kitchens.

The evening will be hosted by Stuart Gillies, owner-chef of Number Eight, whose own career spans more than three decades in leading international and Michelin-starred kitchens. Stuart has worked in Italy, Sweden and New York, as well as leading some of London’s best-known restaurants, including Le Caprice, The Connaught, Boxwood Café and Savoy Grill. He later spent eight years as CEO of the Gordon Ramsay Group before opening Number Eight alongside his wife Cecilia.

With places strictly limited, the dinner offers a rare opportunity to experience Kevin Gratton’s cooking outside London at Number Eight in Sevenoaks. The four-course menu, including canapés and an aperitif, is priced at £85 per person, with an optional £45 wine pairing comprising three 125ml glasses of wine and a 50ml dessert wine.

Guest Chef Dinner Details

Venue: Number Eight, Sevenoaks

Date: Wednesday 23 September 2026

Time: 7pm

Booking online: via Seven Rooms

Price: £85 per head (optional wine pairing: £45 per head)

MENU

Snack

Smoked Salmon ‘Café Royal’ with Horseradish

Bowls of Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps

Cheese ‘n’ Onion Croquettes

Starter

Café Royal Salad with Pear, Endive, Roquefort and Toasted Walnuts

Main

Red-legged Partridge on Yorkshire Toast with Elderberries

Fish

Fillet of Rye Bay Gurnard with Bone Sauce and Coastal Greens

Mousseline Potatoes

Dessert

Île Flottante with Blackberries