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Hampton Manor review: class, character and haute cuisine
Tudor Gothic ‘restaurant with rooms’ walks tightrope between tradition and modernity
Tucked away down a leafy sidestreet of the beautiful village of Hampton-in-Arden - and just a 14 minute train ride from central Birmingham - Hampton Manor is a family-run, passion-driven, award-winning manor launched in 2010.
Fjona Hill, a doctor turned-photographer-turned art director of Hampton Manor met her husband and co-owner of the manor James back at university, and decided to park her career in medicine to pursue her passion for interior design.
During a brief chat with her - and her one year old daughter - over a scrumptious breakfast spread in their beautiful Peels restaurant, she said that the redesign of the manor was inspired by the Red House, the arts-and-crafts home of artist William Morris and his family. Fjona even gave the beautiful gothic manor a contemporary makeover from the inside, with furniture handpicked from around the country.
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The first thing to notice about almost any hotel or restaurant the world over is the service, as no matter how beautiful or shabby an estabilshment may be, the people who work there over can change the entire experience.
And Hampton Manor is no different. Right from the first interaction with the owner through to the waitresses in the hotel's restaurant, every staff member demonstrate a willing friendliness and attentiveness to the needs of all guests.
Their style and approach to hosting is underpinned by a certain formality, as you would expect in a high-end boutique hotel, but not in a stuffy way. In fact, the pampering hospitality reminded me of being back at my parents' home, as every time we left the room, even if it was for a meal at the restaurant, we came back to find it tidied up like new.
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Fjona and James have taken steps to ensure that the inside of Hampton Manor is just as beguiling as its picturesque countryside setting, affording guests the opportunity to make the most of their stay if the thought of venturing into the outside world provokes little more than an indifferent shrug. Guests can indulge in expertly crafted cocktails and nibbles at the bar, perhaps followed by a night of board games while soaking in the parlour's tastefully muted violet decor from one of its many plush wingback chairs.
Upstairs, the hotel's rooms are decorated with aplomb, each room different from the last. Every suite is draped with velour and nature-inspired wallpaper, complemented by pretty deep pastel-shaded bathrooms.
The manor also boasts a spacious garden, the perfect spot for a morning coffee or tea nestled among the site's 45 acres of gorgeous woodland, and while the finest luxury boutique hotels may offers a range of refreshing treatments at an on-site spa, Hampton Manor goes one step beyond, hosting an entire clinic in its grounds. Ideal for that anti-wrinkle treatment you may have been planning to get.
Around
For those interested in taking a country stroll, there are a three walking tours that use the manor as a starting point, the longest and most challenging of which is still an easily managable 10km, snaking around the village, local golf course and the quaint fishing lake.
Be warned: on rainy days conditions can get perilously muddy!
Peel’s
Peel's is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the manor, as evidenced by the hotel's description of itself as a “restaurant with rooms”. In late 2016, head chef Rob Palmer's eccentrically British menu won Peel's both a Michelin star and 4 AA Rosettes in the space of just one week.
One of the more satisfying fine-dining experiences the UK can offer, guests can rest assured that “bang for your buck” is the name of the game here, far from the measly portions and inflated prices of many of the restaurant's Michelin-starred peers.
The exquisite seven course tasting menu - which lasts for up to four hours – offers guests a highlights package of the restaurant's freshest ingredients, with smoked eel and hare with black garlic sitting surprisingly easily alongside sweeter courses, such as the blood orange and chocolate with sherry and vanilla.
Deserving of praise beyond just the food, however, is Peel's' roomy yet efficient layout; its large communal table bathed in late evening light underneath a charming sloped glass ceiling.
Hampton Manor is a rarity. An example of how contempoary design can complement centuries-old architecture. The atmosphere of this hotel feels at once homely and regal, and with sunsets to die for across the rolling Warwickshire countryside. Once you're here, it's unlikely you'll want to be anywhere else.
