Short stay: Hampton Manor, Hampton-in-Arden, West Midlands, UK
Country party is back in style at the Hampton Manor dining area. In the living room, sumptuous books and board games are inviting on the low tables. Wellies is ready for country hikes. The croquet lawn awaits you. Guests gather for cocktails, gins or wine before dinner. After dinner, Frazer guides customers through a whiskey tour.
The hand of history has always shaped Hampton Manor. Sir Robert Peel, a Victorian Prime Minister, bought the land. But after falling from his horse and passing away in 1850, his son took on the task of designing the Neo-Gothic pile.
Now the foreclosure has given the Hill family, who own and run the property, time to reinvent Hampton Manor. Twice a week, the family organizes a gourmet break of three days and two nights.
HomeYou are greeted like old friends arriving for a family holiday. Immediately there is a tour of the property.
Your host takes you to Peel's restaurant, shows you Fred's Bar and introduces you to the light courtyard atrium where breakfast is served, light lunches enjoyed, afternoon tea.
BedroomThe Lord Mowbray room with high ceilings, at the top of the majestic oak-paneled staircase, brings a light contemporary touch to the theme of arts and crafts. The Brer Rabbit wallpaper, designed by William Morris, is illuminated by a vast cylinder of modernist light. It might be a Victorian mansion, but there is also quiet and efficient air conditioning.
Hampton Manor takes coffee seriously by providing a hand grinder and beans. A premium drink point offers homemade cookies. Fresh milk is in the mini-fridge.
The bathroomPlentiful 100-acre toiletries are provided for a large bathroom with a large tub and walk-in power shower.
Gray tiles contrast with a burst of color from three vibrant African portraits. Again, there is a feature wall withheld from designer wallpaper.
FacilitiesOne evening, the guests dine at the Smoke. Steve, the gardener, had 60 tomato plants ready to plant when the decision was made, during the lockdown, to convert the greenhouse into a restaurant. Now a lonely row of tomato plants crosses a magical food court.
Cooks prepare food in what was once the greenhouse oven. For us, it was a three course menu starting with carrot soup poured over sweet and sour crumbs and carrot pesto. Two varieties of rare potatoes, the violeta and the pink fir, served as Dijon potatoes, well accompanied by a lamb neck. Vegan and chicken / fish options are also available. For dessert, artichoke ice cream seems an eclectic choice, almost Heston Blumenthal until you taste her spectacular pairing with a ginger sponge.
On the second evening, a five-course tasting menu is served in the Michelin-starred Peel restaurant. However, if you wish, you can make nine courses from it with additional dessert selections and ending with an English cheese platter served in the lounge.
Chef Rob Palmer focuses on high-quality seasonal sourcing, starting with beets, Driftwood goat cheese, pear and sorrel.
For the second course, "Potato" seems a bland tender until you pour over the rich XO Seafood Sauce. With each dish, the recommended food and wine pairings enhance the dish. At the heart of the menu, there is the choice between wild duck or turbot. Slices of rich sausage and gravy pair well with duck while a royal turbot is served decadently with leek, Jerusalem artichoke and champagne.
Breakfast is served in the courtyard, seasonally decorated with hops and wheat. Throughout the day, drinks, light meals and afternoon tea are available here.
In the park, the Hampton Clinic and treatment rooms run by Dr. Lorraine Hill, offer anti-aging and weight-reduction treatments as well as prescription skin care.
LocationWith easy access from the M42, Hampton Manor is well placed for Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Guests can use a Lexus car to tour local attractions.
Other nice touchesFjona Hill has created an illustrated field guide to local walks with a protective cordon.
Guests for aperitifs are invited to the lounge for a drink. Hampton Manor has designed its own gin - Wasted. Eco consciously, it's distilled from the cascara waste of ground coffee beans, with a seductive taste that lingers between elegant black tea and a hint of Kahlúa.
Also in the living room, an old-fashioned record player is ready for the neighboring vinyl collection or whatever records the guests bring. Soulful Amy Winehouse seemed to be hitting the right marks for customers.
Dom, who really should have his own TV bakery show, has a morning bread-making class.
Later, James Hill and Sommelier Ross organize a wine tasting, focusing on wines where "nothing is added and nothing is taken away". Increasingly, Hampton Manor is looking to source organic and regenerative agriculture.
As a farewell gift, guests receive a packet of cookie dough to recreate the gourmet cookies provided in rooms.
The costTwo nights with meals at this foodie's paradise start from £ 365 per person.
The best songIt's a laid back weekend in a country house where you go from breakfast and bread making to lunch, wine tasting, cocktails and dinner. And then, if you wish, whiskey tasting.
Hand grind your coffee beans, talk to gardener Steve about the organic development of the walled garden, toast marshmallows over the fire pit - the world is slowing down. It's an idyllic escape from the daily frenzy.
The final verdictHampton Manor has a sense of place, its roots run through the heart of England. After all, this is Shakespeare's mystical and magical Arden Forest. The Hills is the champion of slow motion: celebrating artists, carpenters, chefs, gardeners and sommeliers who take the time to master their craft.
An oak plaque had been in the carpenter's workshop for 80 years before James Hill asked the carpenter to hand plan the Maker's Table in the heart of Peel's Restaurant. For the Hill family, Hampton Manor is a contemporary take on the Arts and Crafts movement's original reaction to soulless mass production.
As Frazer Hill says, "We take a long-term view, knowing that we must help shape a different future for our children."
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Hampton Manor.