Gastro Break for 70th Birthday
Discussion
Hi, it's my mothers 70th very shortly and my brother and I have decided between us we will treat her (and our Dad) to a dining experience which is very much her thing.
So I'm looking for suggestions and recommendations.
What we would like, is a nice overnight stay with a tasting menu followed by a good breakfast the next day. Having a spa or similar included would be a bonus. Our intention is to send them away and then my brother and I along with our partners will join them to dine but stay elsewhere.
We are based in the North East, but don't mind where we travel to within reason (say 3-4 hours? as much further might make it a chore for a 1 night stay).
Budget is an absolute maximum of £700 (not including our own food).
So far we are considering;
Pipe and Glass in Beverley, East Yorks.
The Forestside, Lake Distrit.
The Gilpin (though the tasting menu is very fish heavy), Lake District.
Hand and Flower, Marlow.
A wild card is to book them a reservation for The Fat Duck - in which case we would only be gifting the dinner itself and we would not attend, which is a shame as I know my Mum would like to share the occasion, but on the other hand it does look like a real experience a level up from most of the other places.
Thanks!
So I'm looking for suggestions and recommendations.
What we would like, is a nice overnight stay with a tasting menu followed by a good breakfast the next day. Having a spa or similar included would be a bonus. Our intention is to send them away and then my brother and I along with our partners will join them to dine but stay elsewhere.
We are based in the North East, but don't mind where we travel to within reason (say 3-4 hours? as much further might make it a chore for a 1 night stay).
Budget is an absolute maximum of £700 (not including our own food).
So far we are considering;
Pipe and Glass in Beverley, East Yorks.
The Forestside, Lake Distrit.
The Gilpin (though the tasting menu is very fish heavy), Lake District.
Hand and Flower, Marlow.
A wild card is to book them a reservation for The Fat Duck - in which case we would only be gifting the dinner itself and we would not attend, which is a shame as I know my Mum would like to share the occasion, but on the other hand it does look like a real experience a level up from most of the other places.
Thanks!
H&F is excellent but a bit outside your area I would have thought. If you are considering The Fat Duck then what about Riverside Inn (also Bray and 3 star) Royal Hospital Road or many of the London places.
Winteringham Fields is on my to do list but it's a bit North for Me.
Nottingham for Sat bains (also rooms there).
Winteringham Fields is on my to do list but it's a bit North for Me.
Nottingham for Sat bains (also rooms there).
It might not tick the 3-4 hours distance away box, but the Montague Arms in the New Forest do fantastic dinner bed and breakfast deals. The food is fantastic under Matthew Tomkinson, and it's Michelin Starred. Lots to do in the area, and Beaulieu Motor Museum just down the road.
https://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk/
https://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk/
We did L'Enclume last year. As a tasting menu it was superb - every dish was exquisitely put together. They do rooms, and the breakfast the next day was fantastic too.
Sat Bains is a good shout too - very special food. Again, they do rooms, but it's in a bit of an odd setting so not somewhere you can take a stroll from.
They'd be my two "wow" choices for tasting menus.
Sat Bains is a good shout too - very special food. Again, they do rooms, but it's in a bit of an odd setting so not somewhere you can take a stroll from.
They'd be my two "wow" choices for tasting menus.
North Yorks so not too far away. Stayed there about 5 years ago, very nice. Think it's now the "best restaurant in the world!".
https://www.blackswanoldstead.co.uk/
https://www.blackswanoldstead.co.uk/
Does Swinton Park meet your requirements? They've got a brand new spa too.
Edit: web address
Www.swintonestate.com
Edit: web address
Www.swintonestate.com
Edited by Planet Claire on Thursday 21st June 15:47
If you’re prepared to go as far as Bray for The Fat Duck, how about the Waterside Inn as an alternative? Their Signature Experience will leave £100 in your budget for drinks, assuming you go for a standard double room.
I’ve done it a couple of times with my wife and the experience has been exceptional.
Also, I don’t know how experimental your parents are, but my folks are a similar age and they’d be much more comfortable in somewhere like the Waterside Inn than The Fat Duck.
https://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/promotions/signatu...
I’ve done it a couple of times with my wife and the experience has been exceptional.
Also, I don’t know how experimental your parents are, but my folks are a similar age and they’d be much more comfortable in somewhere like the Waterside Inn than The Fat Duck.
https://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/promotions/signatu...
I am very fortunate that because of my work i have to spend time in many top hotels/spa's/resorts, if i was going to book and pay for a treat like you are thinking about i would seriously consider the following, i have no affiliation with them.
https://www.theconistonhotel.com
Just my opinion, hope you have a great celebration.
https://www.theconistonhotel.com
Just my opinion, hope you have a great celebration.
We live not too many miles from the Pipe&Glass. Excellent food and nice rooms with a nice walk through the estate.
As another poster has pointed out The Black Swan at Oldstead is our favourite. Tommy Banks and his family are doing a fantastic job. Lovely area too for a nice walk.
If they fancy a really modern take on food and a city break try Skosh in York. Not the setting as other restaurants but food is amazing.
Edinburgh Castle Terrace was superb but was a little disappointed at Wisharts.
Man behind the curtain in Leeds. Modern food.
My pick wood be Black Swan at Oldstead. If you can get in mind!!!!
As another poster has pointed out The Black Swan at Oldstead is our favourite. Tommy Banks and his family are doing a fantastic job. Lovely area too for a nice walk.
If they fancy a really modern take on food and a city break try Skosh in York. Not the setting as other restaurants but food is amazing.
Edinburgh Castle Terrace was superb but was a little disappointed at Wisharts.
Man behind the curtain in Leeds. Modern food.
My pick wood be Black Swan at Oldstead. If you can get in mind!!!!
We are pretty local to the pipe and glass, I'm almost certain they don't offer a tasting menu if that's something you are set on. It is a lovely pub though, even to sit outside in the sunshine with a glass of wine on a warm evening is a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours. Or in the bar by the fire in winter!
Black swan at Oldstead, as mentioned. Also as mentioned above, Skosh in York is excellent, although its small plates and not really a tasting menu. In fact, York is pretty good for food full stop. Star in the city is also good and Tommy and the team at Black Swan are also currently setting up a place in York.
Star Inn at Harome is good, near Helsmley. Nice part of the world.
House of Tides in Newcastle is also good.
Raby Hunt in Durham is somewhere else I'm hoping to try out!
Black swan at Oldstead, as mentioned. Also as mentioned above, Skosh in York is excellent, although its small plates and not really a tasting menu. In fact, York is pretty good for food full stop. Star in the city is also good and Tommy and the team at Black Swan are also currently setting up a place in York.
Star Inn at Harome is good, near Helsmley. Nice part of the world.
House of Tides in Newcastle is also good.
Raby Hunt in Durham is somewhere else I'm hoping to try out!
Edited by hacksaw on Wednesday 27th June 09:53
OP - my partner and I visited The Hand and Flowers in Marlow yesterday evening and I'll give you my thoughts on it.
Before I go on though, I'd make it clear that I'm in no way an expert when it comes to these things!
Firstly and given this is PH, whilst we were having a drink in their outside area, a 720S left and a 650S arrived which added a bit to the aural atmosphere!
As you'd expect given it's a 2* restaurant, the food was very good. The flavours were very well judged and everything was prepared and cooked without fault. The service was good and, again, on a par with what you'd expect given the restaurant's reputation. The drinks were more reasonably priced than we expected which was a nice surprise. The menu is great for people who enjoy meat however perhaps a bit limited otherwise e.g. only a single fish main is offered.
The H&F offers, in my opinion, a very good culinary option however I'm not sure I'd travel the distance you are purely to visit as it's not that good. We're 45 minutes' away and would probably go back, albeit only once we had visited the other similar places also within a similar distance of us. For me, it's somewhere which met my, admittedly high, expectations and left me feeling satisfied but I didn't walk away thinking "wow".
Before I go on though, I'd make it clear that I'm in no way an expert when it comes to these things!
Firstly and given this is PH, whilst we were having a drink in their outside area, a 720S left and a 650S arrived which added a bit to the aural atmosphere!
As you'd expect given it's a 2* restaurant, the food was very good. The flavours were very well judged and everything was prepared and cooked without fault. The service was good and, again, on a par with what you'd expect given the restaurant's reputation. The drinks were more reasonably priced than we expected which was a nice surprise. The menu is great for people who enjoy meat however perhaps a bit limited otherwise e.g. only a single fish main is offered.
The H&F offers, in my opinion, a very good culinary option however I'm not sure I'd travel the distance you are purely to visit as it's not that good. We're 45 minutes' away and would probably go back, albeit only once we had visited the other similar places also within a similar distance of us. For me, it's somewhere which met my, admittedly high, expectations and left me feeling satisfied but I didn't walk away thinking "wow".
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