Going out: A night at the Prime Minister’s place…!
Zuzana Kasparova has a sleepover suggestion for Theresa May at Hampton Manor
There’s nothing wrong with Birmingham, but the fact that Hampton Manor is only a stone’s throw from the city might surprise you.
This property may not be far from the bustle of Brum, but it doesn’t feel like that in the quiet village of Hampton-in-Arden.
It was here at Hampton Manor that Sir Robert Peel –who was twice Tory prime minister – lived, and it would have been the perfect place to go after the madness of Parliament.
Theresa May take note.
This beautiful manor house is now a family-run hotel and home to Peel’s Restaurant, which holds four AA rosettes and a coveted Michelin star thanks to the culinary talents of head chef, Rob Palmer.
On arrival at the property, my friend Lejla and I were shown to one of the 15 beautiful Arts and Crafts bedrooms – each one a celebration of original décor with beautiful stylish touches.
I loved that the room blended history with contemporary charm and was particularly taken with an old gramophone in one corner and in the other, a coffee bean hand grinder that allowed us to make our own fresh coffee. Our room (named after previous owner Peel) also had a stunning view on the manor’s manicured grounds and the historical clock tower.
Before dinner, we were ushered into a spacious purple and cream drawing room
with large windows looking onto the garden, and served cucumber water while perusing the menu. Then the canapés arrived – smoked hummus on fresh crackers and mushroom tartar on crisp bread with a selection of fresh olives – which were delicious and I loved the original idea of serving them on flat stones.
The dining room (check out the hand-painted wallpaper) has various seating options, including a stylish long wooden table in the centre for bigger parties.
Our seven-course vegetarian taster menu started with roast potato valuate with thyme oil, sprinkled with potato puffs and a generous serving of fresh home-baked Polish bread with delicious crust and butter. Delicious!
We moved onto the heritage tomatoes, burrata cheese and fermented ketchup, followed by beautifully presented mouth-watering dishes of kohlrabi with tofu and miso sprinkled with kohlrabi sauce, leek and spring onion seasoned with vinegar.
Our main dish was rich in flavour: a combination of grilled onion with green peas and green pea mash with a hint of garlic.
As I have a sweet tooth I could not wait to see what the chef had prepared for dessert and was delighted to see we had not one, but three including a pre-dessert of passion fruit, vanilla and buttermilk with few drops of honey. My favourite dessert was the soft honey cake, with fennel sorbet and fennel cream – a combination of tastes that was mind-blowing.
When we thought we could not possibly eat another morsel, we were brought a final and equally mouth-watering dessert of chocolate and cherry and vanilla and honey ice cream. Turns out there is always room if it’s sublime.
The restaurant is the main feature of Hampton Manor, which is also available for weddings and open for afternoon tea, but there are also pamper rooms and a clinic where you can completely unwind and treat yourself to an amazing bespoke aromatherapy massage, facial, reflexology or aesthetic treatments.
With its gourmet food, excellent décor and super attentive staff, our current PM should think about following in Sir Robert Peel’s footsteps and head there after a crazy week at Westminster.
I sincerely recommend it.
Details: 01675 446 080 – hamptonmanor.com
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