Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Great Britain

The meal was fantastic, the first dish was called beetroot with suet, pine and thyme. This was an amazingly delicate beetroot pie, with the crust made of suet. The pine and thyme were on fire below the pie to add their wonderful smell to the eating experience. The pie was easy to eat and full of amazing flavours. The second dish came with a black tapioca and on top was some delicate beef tartare with dates, sorrel, marigold and tiny pieces of whey - Placing it on the tongue and having a pop of tapioca before the rich flavours was such a treat. It was one of those moments when it felt like time stopped as the flavours exploded.

Next was the dish called potato, skate and grenobloise, this was a tasty morsel with the skate and grenobloise inside the spiralised potato cases, the butter, capers, parsley and lemon of the grenobloise, enhanced the gentle softness of the skate and the crispy potato provided an excellent contrast with the insides.

The chestnut mushrooms with truffle and Jerusalem artichoke was the next little bite, this mix of flavours were delightful, crisp and amazing.

The lobster bisque and caviar was the third of these little delights. The N25 caviar was salty rich with the thick lobster bisque underneath the caviar, they were both delicious, but together they were really stunning

We were then served a light rye sourdough with a delightful malted butter ring, this was a beurre noisette heavily whipped to make this butter more nutty than buttery, which suits my taste perfectly

The scallop course was served with crème fraiche and trout roe. It was amazing. The scallop was in slices with scallop mousse and crème fraiche with sharpness from the berries and trout roe and other garden herbs.

The next course was Jacobs’ ladder with burnt leek, aged parmesan and truffle. It had an amazing depth of flavour on the wonderful tender beef, the parmesan and truffle themselves were delightful but combined with the meat were enough to have me almost crying with delight.

Next, came a beef and ginger consommé, a tea imbibed with radish, ginger and lemon. It was delicious; warm with a sense it was health giving and a perfect palette cleanser.

The fish course was wild bass with gooseberry, grape and hollandaise. A lovely piece of bass with a crispy skin of excellent quality. It would have been enough on its own, but with the soft fish, just cooked, almost translucent and the nuttiness of the almond volute, I was sighing with pleasure

Next came the main meat course of the meal. A delightful piece of aged lamb with lamb fat potato and pesto. The lamb was cooked together with chicken mousse, by cooking them together the flavours combined with strong aged lamb and soft mousse served with a rich lamb jus. There were also three delightful parcels of pesto over cucumber with marigold and dill. The fat potato brought another dimension of lamb flavour to the dish, a great triumph.

The cheese course was 'Baron Bigod with bacon, berkswell and apple'. The Baron Bigod one of those raw cow milk Brie style British cheeses, was combined with the Berkswell, a hard ewe's milk cheese. The delicious saltiness of the bacon jam and tasty bacon pieces through the cheese added to by the small flakes of sharp granny smith apple made the whole dish amazingly tasty.

The first of the dessert courses came next. It was a 75% Chocolate with blackberry and sweet woodruff. The chocolate and blackberry were combined with a twig of chocolate on top and was mouth-watering. The sweet Woodruff ice cream was no sweeter than the herb itself and was enhanced with the Oabika gel in the centre adding another cocoa flavour to the whole dish.

The final course was a second dessert, as I don't like sweet food, dessert is often not a good experience for me, but not here. The plum, custard and apple blossom were just satisfyingly tasty not sugary at all. The sharp plum gel had a white chocolate tweel between it and the sweet pink plum with the addition of a ginger crumb, a real delight and pleasure. I concluded at the end of this meal that this chef...

Just stayed there for my 40th. In general a very nice hotel. The room we stayed in was getting a little tired in places. Nothing to effect the experience really just could do with a little bit of repair work. The place I felt a bit let down though was on the service at the hotel. Left waiting for over 10 mins at a bar and spoke to 3 members of staffing asking to be served in the spa before someone turned up to help me. Also had to go and find a member of staff to serve me at another bar as well.

Ate in Greens for 2 nights and the service was a bit sluggish on the first night. Had to get up out my own seat twice to wander to where my wine bottle had been left in an ice bucket (not next to me) to top myself up. Nothing major but just not what I normally get in a 5 start. The all day menu in Greens is reasonable but a bit limited. They have just put in a small plates menu which does look very nice. Think tapas style. Mostly for sharing though and if your other half doesn't like roughly the same things as you wouldn't necessarily work. If they padded out the all day menu with a few more options it would plug the gap around dinner feeling a touch short of options. For example they are still offering sandwiches in the eve rather than potentially offering something more substantial.

Lastly really wanted to eat in the dinning room however the menu in advance is more a list of ingredients rather than any detail as to what the dish actually is. My wife is a bit of a fussy eater and the menu was mainly fish based for a meat eater. I asked to make some adjustments and got some confusing feedback from the staff in one email which then later conflicted with another. In the first I was told it was okay to make some tweaks around dietary requirements and seemed to infer they could even tailor away from the meat menu being primarily fish based to some more land based options. When given further detail towards pork, beef and chicken they came back and said they couldn't do it.

Fair enough in many respects that they couldn't for whatever reason. I was asking to tailor the experience a bit but the hotel was quiet all week. We were 1 of 5 tables even eating at the hotel. If they had been more flexible we would have spent over £500 on food and wine in the dinning room and because of a lack of flexibility we spent £140 in Greens instead for dinner. It seems on the face value of it a strange commercial choice. If the chef is there anyway you would think a high end chef could cook around our food preferences with over 2 days notice and it's not like they were busy so it would have been difficult if they had wanted to. It was a shame though as I wanted to eat there to celebrate my 40th and plenty of other nice hotels I have stayed have been more than happy to work around such things.

Ultimately not the end of the world but just took the shine off a little.

Ending on a lovely note though the spa is fantastic and I enjoyed every moment of being outside in some sun in the water. The spa is well attended and looked...

Whatley Manor – A Grand Ambience, but Underwhelming Culinary Experience

Located at Whatley Manor, a renowned establishment known for its grandeur and tranquility, our dining experience was anticipated with great excitement. However, despite the enchanting ambiance and attentive staff, the food failed to leave a lasting impression.

Upon entering Whatley Manor, one is immediately captivated by the peaceful and majestic atmosphere that permeates the premises. The restaurant exudes an aura of elegance and sophistication, setting the stage for what should have been a memorable culinary journey.

The three-course meal provided a fair selection, offering three options for each course. While the portion size for the starters was satisfactory, it fell short for those not opting for the roast or on a strict diet. Some diners voiced concerns over the chewiness of the beef, which was a minor letdown.

One aspect that disappointed was the absence of inclusive drink options in the gift packages. Instead, the restaurant presented a range of premium beverages and wines, seemingly designed to encourage additional purchases. This marketing strategy left a distinct impression of coercion, which detracted from the overall dining experience.

Our choice of fish cake for the starter proved to be ordinary and lacked any distinguishing characteristics. The flavors failed to excite the palate, resulting in an underwhelming introduction to the meal.

For the main course, we selected the risotto and codd. Unfortunately, both dishes fell flat, failing to deliver the expected level of culinary delight. The codd, in particular, left us wanting more, as its portion size was not substantial enough for a main course. The lack of creativity and depth in these dishes was truly disappointing.

Concluding the meal, we indulged in the chocolate brownie for dessert. Although it met the basic requirements of a sweet ending, it failed to surpass expectations or leave a lasting impression.

On a positive note, the staff at Whatley Manor displayed commendable professionalism and warmth. Their attentive service and accommodating nature contributed positively to the overall experience. Additionally, the live music provided an enjoyable backdrop, without any notable concerns.

In summary, while Whatley Manor offers a delightful ambiance and attentive staff, the culinary experience falls short of expectations. The Sunday lunch experience may be a viable option for a one-time indulgence, but it leaves doubts regarding its repeatability. For those seeking a memorable dining experience, other establishments might provide a more fulfilling and extraordinary encounter.

Note: This review is based on personal...