Want to win dinner and drinks for two - worth up to £65 - at Newmarket's The Graze Kitchen? Read on. . .

The Graze Kitchen is a dream come true for boss Silas Teixeira, as he tells Velvet

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The concept

The focus of The Graze Kitchen is simple: to create a place which is stylish and comfortable with an offer that reflects a taste for quality yet simple produce - bread, cheese, cured meats - all assembled on a serving board and designed for the purpose of bringing people together around food.

The Graze Kitchen will become a necessity for anyone who loves a grazing board filled with cured meats and cheeses paired with a glass of fine wine!

The background

I started working in the food industry when I was 16 years old. My father was a restaurant manager most of his working life, so from a young age I saw and learnt what he used to do, so I gave it a go and have not looked back since.

What I love about this industry is how every day is different, whether it’s the dishes you are serving, working with a great team, or spending time and talking to your customers, getting to know them and their backgrounds.

I am lucky enough to have worked for and managed some fantastic restaurant brands during my working career, such as Café Rouge, Patisserie Valerie, Carluccio’s, Dough & Co Woodfired Pizza.

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How it started

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and you just know when the time is right. I have been running restaurants for other people for such a long time, so why not do it for myself? People say I am crazy for doing it when there is an economic crisis, but I just wanted to bite the bullet – it’s how I do things!

I have always wanted to work for myself, so I can have the freedom to choose my menu and change it when I want to and adapt it to new food trends, and to build something very special, from the restaurant itself to choosing my own team.

How it’s going

We have had great feedback from our customers and some fantastic reviews! We are building a good, strong loyal customer base and it’s great to see regular faces coming back again.

On the menu

The whipped feta with pomegranate and pistachios from our range of small plates is very popular among our diners. Grazing board-wise, the top-seller has to be the Traditional Board: you get the best of both worlds, lots of charcuterie and cheese accompanied by lots of other treats.

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Festive flavour

We have almost finished developing a Christmas set menu which includes a very special Christmas-inspired grazing board, cocktail and dessert – so watch this space!

The reward

The biggest reward so far was back in early July: opening the doors of the restaurant and standing back and saying to myself ‘I did it!’ This has always been a dream and to have that dream come true is something very special. It’s a feeling I won’t forget.

Win It

As a Christmas gift to Velvet readers, Silas is giving you the chance to win a meal for two this month! Worth up to £65, the prize package includes a glass of wine or cocktail each, a sharing grazing board and a dessert each.

For your chance to win, simply click HERE and complete the form using the code ‘GRAZE’. Open to over-18s only, the competition will close to entries at midnight on December 30 2022 and the usual Ts and Cs apply. One entry per person and one winner to be selected at random.

The Graze Kitchen is at 100-102 High Street, Newmarket. See thegrazekitchen.co.uk