WORDS:
LES
DUNN
hungry traveller.
than throwing too much on the
plate. ‘Tomato’ featured smoked
turbot roe in a tomato broth which
exploded with flavour; ‘Potato’
(which sounds uncannily like a
Blackadder episode) caused a
reassessment of something
regarded by many as mere filler.
Breakfasts are leisurely and
include a good, not-too-sweet
homemade granola and, as well
as the usual suspects (full English,
eggs benedict), the options of a
plate of British cured meats or
a satisfying bacon roll (with,
controversially to some, homemade
brown sauce and ketchup).DRINKING
When you arrive, you’re invited to
hang out in the pretty, leafy and
flower-filled Nyetimber Summer
House (this is where breakfast is
served, too) and enjoy a glass ofthe celebrated English sparkler of
the same name to start your stay
with a pop.
The hotel has also embraced the
natural wine revolution (don’t
worry, none of them tastes like
cider) with an interesting collection
of world-spanning bottles, ordered
by style (dry, fruity) rather than
grape or country. The reason
becomes clear at the wine tasting
James Hill conducts on Saturday
afternoon. It will attune you to
what natural wine is all about, and
his evangelical charm may even
convert you to the cause.
At cocktail hour, bring your own
vinyl or use the hotel’s collection to
spin Eighties tunes on the turntable
in the parlour when the gins come
out to play (the golden, barrel-aged
Wasted Cascara, made at Piston
Gin in Worcester to Hampton
Manor’s recipe, is an intriguingdrop). After dinner, the estimable
whisky collection gets an airing too.OUT AND ABOUT
In your room is a ‘field map’ of the
area with walk options. The longest
takes a couple of hours through
rolling fields and along a carp lake,
where you might find competitive
anglers hauling in their catch.
Make it even more leisurely by
stopping for a pint from the local
Purity Brewing Co at friendly
wood-beamed pub The Bulls Head.COST
From £720 for two for Tuesday and
Wednesday or Friday and Saturday
nights, with breakfast and dinner
each day (four-course set menu in
Peel’s; six courses and wine flights
available for a supplement). Wine
tasting and garden tour included.
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