Victorian Country House Splendour (and the best value wine list around)

Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a thing for English country house hotels. I’m not sure what it is exactly about them, but I cannot think of a better way than spending a weekend in one of them along with some great food and wine. For me, an English country house hotel is one of those things that you just can’t find anywhere else. Have travelled to almost every civilised country on the face of the earth I can safely say that English country house hotels are a tradition that we desperately need to maintain. Many countries try to copy them, but unfortunately most fail miserably.

One of the best value around has to be Horsted Place in East Sussex. Nestled in the tiny hamlet of Little Horsted, just outside Uckfield, its unassuming entrance hides a real gem of a property. The red brick gothic exterior draws you in to an entrance foyer with stunning Victorian tiles that gives way to a grand Pugin staircase sweeping its way through the centre of the hotel.

In wintertime fires are lit which give a lovely warm glow to the place. In summer the doors in the drawing room open out onto an outdoor terrace and croquet lawn. No matter what time of year you visit you will not be disappointed. Staff here exhibit that rare quality of real warmth and friendliness which ensures a calmness pervades across the hotel. Rooms are furnished in the quintessentially English country house style. The pick of which has to be the Neville Suite, named after previous owners.

The restaurant serves up good modern British cooking with a few neat twists on some classic dishes. Pan fried Scallops with bacon are a favourite for a starter, with venison and noodles a popular main. The cooking is uncomplicated and precise. Sunday lunch is an absolute steal at £28.50 per person. The hotels wine list is great value. In fact it must be one of the most reasonable priced wine lists available in the UK. If you want first growths at prices that don’t require a second mortgage then this is the place to go. I have enjoyed many an evening in the restaurant here with various vintages of Lafite, D’Angludet, Palmer, Conseillante and Mouton Rothschild. If Horsted place can supply quality claret to their customers at sensible prices I don’t know why other places of similar ilk can’t.

I actually spent the Christmas period at Horsted Place this year and enjoyed a few incredibly relaxing days along with some great food and wine. It won't be long before I am back there again. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed and like me will probably return again and again!

An English Tradition.....and long may it continue to be

Afternoon tea is one of those quintessentially English things that I love. Having been lucky enough to travel the world extensively I can honestly say there is nothing like an English afternoon tea served up in England. Of course there are many examples of good afternoon tea served around the globe. But, to my mind, no one quite does it like we do here at home. Here are a few of my favourites for this great tradition of ours. A great country house afternoon tea, the best afternoon tea in London and the best you can find abroad.

Lucknam Park Country House Hotel in Bath typifies what afternoon tea is all about. Delicate sandwiches, hot and delicious scones, all topped off with cakes and pastries that push you to the limit of what is feasible to consume in one sitting. This wonderful feast is served in the drawing room looking out over the vast grounds. Here you can sit and relax, winding away the hours pretending to be a landed gentry owning all he surveys whilst washing down artery clogging pastries with endless quantities of fabulous tea.

In London it seems almost all the big name hotels offer afternoon tea. However, The Connaught Hotel does it all with a bit of a twist. Here, Helene Darozze brings some Michelin starred flair to afternoon tea at The Connaught. The basics are traditional, sandwiches, scones and cakes but the style is very much its own. Resist the temptation to order more of each course when offered as you won’t get through it all. If you do fancy more, order a second helping of the scones which are simply divine and have to be the best I have ever had. A variety of scones are offered, the pick of which has to be Darozze’s now famous apricot ones. The tea list here deserves a special mention. The choice is almost endless. My personal favourite is one called French Vanilla which smells almost like custard and has a lovely silky vanilla taste to it….simply marvellous.

I can’t think of a better place to sample afternoon tea abroad than in the colonial splendour that is The Oriental in Bangkok. It’s served up in the austere surroundings of the Authors Lounge in the old original part of the hotel. I have spent a few lovely Sunday afternoons tucked away in here slowly devouring their form of afternoon tea over several hours. The surroundings can’t help but take you back to times past and I must admit I do like to imagine who may have passed through the lounge over the years or even sat in the very seat I occupy while tucking into the sumptuous cakes and scones.

Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley - Serious Cooking, Serious Dining

From the moment you enter you realise you are somewhere a little special. The dinning room itself oozes class. Deep purple on the walls, blood red leather arm chairs. It reminded me of a nice bottle of Pomerol. Not surprising really, this did used to be the original Petrus after all.

The menu choice could be described as exhaustive. A fixed price set lunch, a la carte, prestige tasting menu, gourmand tasting menu. You are spoilt for choice. We visited at lunch and after debating the fixed price menu we opted for the full a la carte.

Scallops to start with onions and crushed blueberries were followed by turbot poached in squid ink served with cuttlefish. Desert was a peanut parfait with rich dark chocolate.

As it was lunch I opted for a couple of glasses of wine as opposed to a full bottle. Normally I’m not a fan of wines by the glass list. Only because I never get that excited by what is on offer. Marcus Wareing is different though. Its wines by the glass list stands comfortably alongside its bedfellow the full wine list. A couple of glasses of Chateaux Batailley 2001 were just right for lunch.

The service is as you would expect extremely professional, but it’s all done with what seem genuine enthusiasm and a desire to see the patrons enjoying themselves. As I always say, the food, cooking and wine is one thing. I great dinning experience is the whole package including the service and ambiance. Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley is the full package.

There’s many a good two Michelin star restaurant in London these days, someone has even given Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester three stars, but I think this may well be my favourite.

Oh and finally, make sure you leave room for the chocolates that are served up with the tea and coffee. Divine does not even come close!

You will need deep pockets to dine here, but for a special once off its worth it.

Wild Honey - A Hidden Gem

Where can you get great quality cooking at a price that won’t break the bank? Sounds easy at first doesn’t it? Everyone has their own favourite value eatery. But where can you find such a place in the heart of Mayfair? Impossible I hear you cry, it can’t be done you protest! Well that’s what I thought until I visited Wild Honey a few weeks ago.

Tucked away, just off Conduit Street is Wild Honey. The unassuming exterior hides a gem of a brasserie style restaurant which serves up some of the best value modern European cooking I have come across.

The food is well presented without being fussy and the quality of the cooking is absolutely spot on. What seem some unusual combinations at first work well in reality and I found myself ordering dishes that I probably would not have done so before.

The wine list is short but contains some interesting bottles that you won’t usually come across in this part of town. We went for a lovely Pinot Noir from New Zealand which was ripe and fruity, but ever so soft on the palette.

The décor is all wood from the floors to some great cubicles. Service is sharp and to the point. None of the starchy pompousness that is found at some of the other restaurants in this area.

Wild Honey is that rare thing in restaurants today, quality dining at decent rates. If you want to try somewhere that’s a little bit special whilst at the same time great value for money give Wild Honey a go. Just don’t tell everyone as they will all want to go there.

Petrus - the wine, the restaurant

Petrus means different things to different people. To some, it is a small boutique wine estate in the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, producing one of the most sought after and expensive wines in the world. To others, Petrus means the legendary restaurant at The Berkeley Hotel (until that is the acrimonious split between Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsey took place). To some, it means the new restaurant that Ramsey has opened, just footsteps from its old location, within a stones throw from Wareing's fabulous restaurant at The Berkeley.

To me, Petrus means all three.

Petrus, the wine, to most is almost unobtainable. A deep, rich, powerful Pomerol of such intensity that it can't help take your breath away. Its produced in such small quantities each year that its release price is always astronomic and continues to grow in value to the point of ridiculousness as it ages. Go on line now and you'll see single bottles trading for several thousand pounds and cases routinely selling for tens of thousands. If you are ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to try some of this amazing wine make sure you grasp it with both hands.

In terms of Petrus, the restaurant, I was never able to visit the original in The Berkeley. However, I have been to its new incarnation down the road from its original haunt. I can't compare the new with the old, but can report that the new one is very much on the money.

I went for a Saturday lunch after a morning of wandering around the Knightsbridge shops. I ordered salmon and lobster cannelloni as a starter which was served with a nice tangy vine tomato sauce. A lovely steamed piece of sea bream followed served on a bed of fennel and apple whilst a hazelnut parfait finished things off nicely. To supplement this I had two glasses of Puligny Montrachet. Very tasty indeed.

The dinning room is light and airy, built around the central wine cellar which is made of glass. As the tables look inwards towards this focal point it gives you a glorious view into what is on offer. Service is efficient and to the point, which I like, and the tables are nicely spaced so you don't feel like you have to eaves drop on the table next door. All in all, there is not much to grumble about.

Of course, any restaurant called Petrus must pay tribute to its namesake wine in some shape or form. In this regard, Petrus, the restaurant, scores grandly. Never before have I seen a wine list with so many Petrus vintages on it. I think I counted sixteen. Although, to be honest, I lost count after about ten, as I noticed the prices getting higher and higher as my eyes were drawn further and further down the list.

You may expect a restaurant named after one of the most expensive wines in the world to be a tad pricey. However, at £25 for the three course set lunch, plus the obligatory amuse bouche and pre desert, you can't go wrong. I'd recommend it for a nice weekend lunch, although you will need to book ahead as its busy (we had to book a month in advance to get a table). Just make sure that while you are there you stay away from the offerings of Petrus, the wine. Unless that is you have several thousand pounds burning a hole in your wallet.

Bar Boulud, Failure to Lunch

Daniel Boulud has taken up residence at the self titled Bar Boulud in Mandarin Oriental's Knightsbridge hotel. Boulud's flagship New York restaurant has won plaudits the world over for its innovative take on french cuisine, and is rightly regarded as one of the main players in that cities extensive dinning scene. With this in mind, his arrival on these shores comes with considerable expectation.

Bar Boulud promises much form the start. It has its own entrance to the side of the hotel, directly off the busy streets opposite Harvey Nichols. The reception/bar area are modern and spacious and you are greeted with genuine warmth by the front of house staff. However, once you move through the bar area and are sat down at your table it starts to unravel alarmingly quickly. The tables are too close together, the waiting staff seem to be going through the motions and to top it off the food is just not that special for the prices being charged. Yes, the young, rich and beautiful may fill it day in day out, but that does not necessarily mean you should also choose to eat there.

Its not bad. I should be clear about that. But I expected much more and was left feeling fairly indifferent to the place. It all just felt a little too formulaic. This is probably the best way to describe Bar Boulud. It does not really stand out from the crowd. The decor is nice without being stunning, the food is alright without being impressive and the overall experience sufficient without being memorable. I can't actually remember what I ate there, which just about says it all.

To be honest the Mandarin Oriental deserves better. Especially since the faultless Foliage was, in part at least, closed down to make way for this new venue. Hopefully Heston Blumenthals "Dinner by Heston" will right this when it too opens at the Mandarin Oriental later this year.

If you fancy some french cooking and a nice lunch go up the road to Helene Darroze at the Connaught. Its a little more expensive than Bar Boulud but oh so much better value.

Positano Bites Deep..

So wrote John Steinbeck in a piece for Harpers Bazaar in 1953. He was right. Anyone who has been to Positano will understand exactly what he means. Italy's Amalfi coast is without doubt beautiful, but Positano has to be its gem. The array of multi-coloured houses and villas clung to almost vertical cliffs, that open up into a bay with deep, blue, clear waters cannot fail to impress even the most soulless of beings.

The drive from Naples airport to this Amalfi hideaway is all part of the Positano experience. Out of the bustling Naples airport, past Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum, along the Bay of Naples and finally the cliff clinging roads around the Gulf of Salerno. Its a glorious drive, although if you don't like cliff edge roads with sheer drops to the sea below its probably best to sit on the left hand side of the car. Steinbeck talks about a mad taxi driver who was intent on doing the journey in record time when he visited. Things have not changed much in this regard. Italian chauffeurs still seem intent on trying to break the land speed record whenever they get behind the wheel.

When staying in Positano, there is only really one place to rest your head. Le Sirenuse is that rare find for a hotel these days. Privately owned by the same family that started it originally. It sits at the top of Positano with a prime vista over the harbour, shops and eateries below. Rooms are fresh and elegantly furnished with a range of antiques. Service is second to none. From the moment you enter you are treated almost as if you are a family friend visiting and staying for a few days. Nothing is too much trouble and a glass of champagne in the oyster bar at sunset is a simply stunning intro for dinner.

The restaurant at Le Sirenuse, La Sponda, is a Michelin starred wonder. Set on a terrace, lit by a hundred candles and overlooking the gulf of Salerno its location is perfect. At night time you can dine under the stars whilst gazing out at a few of the super yachts that have taken up port for the night below. The food is expensive, you can eat much cheaper down in the town, but to miss out on a treat such as this at least once would be a crime. We ate here twice in the four nights that we stayed. Both times we had the eight course tasting menu. On visiting the second time, and commenting that we had had the tasting menu two days ago, our waiter told us that if we wanted it again they would provide eight totally different courses to the ones we had eaten earlier that week. With this offer we had to accept. How many Michelin starred restaurants would do this for their guests. Not many I would venture and for me typifies why La Sponda is truly special. Of course the food is good, the wine is excellent and the location perfect. But as I have said before you need more than this. In the case of La Sponda its the staff and service that make it stand out. The waiters are knowledgeable, chatty and efficient without being overbearing and intrusive. The sommelier guides you towards whatever suits your budget without the distain that some in city restaurants have. In all its a thoroughly professional affair carried out in a relaxed but classy environment.

Steinbeck's Positano article is now almost 60 years old. However, if he were to visit again today I doubt he would find that anything had changed. Its was perfect then, and still is now.

An Evening with the Astors

First blog entry for a few weeks now due to holidays, but am now back in the saddle again. This week, its the turn of one of our greatest country houses to come under the spotlight, the former home of the Astor family, Cliveden.

I must admit, Cliveden is a favorite of mine. From the moment you drive through the imposing gates at the entrance you know you are somewhere special. As you drive along the approach road through the woodland estate you have no idea of what awaits you up ahead. Then, suddenly, as the woodland begins to thin out you see a wonderful fountain in the distance and turn a corner to reveal a vision of pure architectural perfection. The mansion, perfectly situated above the Thames is both imposing but welcoming at the same time. The vast array of expensive cars parked in front of the house serve as a reminder that this is truly the high life at its very best. The estate, once home of the famous Astors still takes your breath away no matter how many times you see it.

Nancy Astor used to be known to hold some of the best parties and dinner receptions here during her time. As you enter the house you cannot fail to notice the large portrait of her to the left of the grand fireplace. I like to think that she still watches over the house ensuring that her high standards for entertaining and service are being met.

Having stayed at Cliveden a few times before we thought we would try out their signature restaraunt, Waldos, this time around. Previously we had been unable to get a table at Waldos and usually had dinner in The Terrace Dining Room. The quality and preparation of the food in The Terrace, has always been good, but Waldos really takes it up another level. A starter of langoustines, was followed by a unique take on the standard fillet of beef, whilst desert was a wonderful combination of pear and raspberries. All was prepared and presently perfectly along with an intreaguing array of china and glassware.

On the wine side we started with a couple of glasses of champagne, Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle. This was one of the nicest Champagnes I have had. LIght and crispy with a lovely balance to it. For the food we went with one of my favourites, a bottle of Leuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2005. This was a lovely caramel type chardonnay that accompanied the food really well.

On a lovely summers day, there is nothing better than taking a stroll around the gardens and woodland, then retiring to the house for a glass of champagne and dinner. The place is pricey, there's no denying, but for service, quality, warmth and sheer english country house splendour you just can't beat it. Plus, how often do you get to stay somewhere that has featured so prominently in both political and elite society.

If you can, stay for a night. You'll never want to leave.

Regional French Perfection....well almost!

Helene Darozze at the Connaught is one of those restaurants that seems to be a bit of a paradox. One thing by night at dinner, whilst a totally different proposition during the day at lunch. I have been lucky enough to experience both there in the last couple of weeks. My dinner experience was first. I went with very high expectations, perhaps a little too high as it turned out.

The a la carte dinner is £75 a head for three courses, which in itself is expensive but not overly so at this level. Dishes on the carte are presented in French and English, with the predominantly French staff all too eager to explain to you the details.

The wine list is the biggest I have come across, and of course is loaded with every great wine and vintage from around the world. The prices are also the highest I have come across in London (maybe even anywhere). You certainly need deep pockets if you want anything with a reputation. We had a bottle of Lynch Bages 1998 which at around £300 was pushing the realms of reality. However, I took the view that to fully enjoy the food I had to have a bottle that also could live at the same high standards.

The dinning room is a modern art deco masterpiece. Comfy armchairs, sexy lighting and some fabulous Hermes china that a female dinning companion will want to take away with you. Overall the restaurant is a serious player on the London dinning scene.

We both enjoyed the meal immensely but for some reason left feeling something was missing. This may have been compounded by the fact that we had just paid almost £600 for dinner. The food was annoyingly good, the wine excellent, décor second to none in London. Yes, the price was expensive but tolerable given the wine we had ordered. So why did I not feel on top of the world?

Well, it’s all down to the ambiance that is created in the dinning room itself, which quite simply, is guilty of trying too hard. The staff, which are clearly knowledgeable, provide faultless service, but it’s all too cold and stuffy. This, combined with the touch of distain from the sommelier whenever he spoke left an unfulfilled empty feeling as we left. All this despite having enjoyed some of the best food I have been fortunate enough to eat anywhere in the world.

So a couple of weeks later I found myself again at Helene Darrozze, only this time for lunch with a colleague. This time I was very surprised, and I have to say pleased, that I experienced a much more relaxed affair. The stuffiness and overbearing formalities are not there at lunchtime. All that remains is the exquisite food, the quality of the wine and a complete dinning experience that I have yet to better. At lunchtime, Helene Darozze is without doubt the full package.

I had the line caught calamari, followed by crusted hake rounded off with a mouth watering rhubarb compote. This was washed down with a glass of white and a glass of red selected by a much more amiable sommelier. The famous jars of petty fours where wheeled over with the tea and coffee and it was as much as we could do to control ourselves from asking for the lot!

So what do we make of a restaurant such as this. The ambiance lets dinner down badly. Yes, dinner is expensive, especially when you add in the wine, water and coffee but the food is that good. However the evening service team could learn a lot from the lunch team in terms of creating a warm friendly dinning atmosphere. My recommendation would be to go for lunch and then decide if you want to go the extra mile for dinner. The three courses and two glasses of wine for £42 is great value, especially when you consider the quality of the food and the location. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed and there is none of the stuffiness associated with dinner. Lunch is the real deal, if they can emulate the ambiance created at lunch in the evening this restaurant is a serious contender for best in the city.

Angela Hartnett's Murano

Another entry about Italian food this week courtesy of my trip to Murano in Mayfair on Saturday afternoon.

I had been wanting to sample Murano for a while now, but for one reason or another always seemed to not quite make it.

Its a small, intimate restaurant just off Curzon Street with a discreet and almost unassuming entrance. If you weren't going there for lunch or dinner you would probably not even notice it. We arrived rather early for our 13:30 reservation but where shown to our table without fuss. The interior is a soothing combination of crisp white linen tables, olive green leather armchairs and an array of elegant freezes on the walls.

The menu choice actually surprised. The tasting menu, full a la carte and set lunch menu were all available. We opted for the fantastic value set lunch menu. It contains a good selection of dishes and the price included appetisers, amuse bouche and pre dessert as well! All this and three courses for just £30. A great offer in anyones book, and lets face it who can face an eight course extravaganza or full a la carte session for lunch anyway. Especially when temperatures outside are pushing 30 degrees.

A starter of confit chicken ravioli, followed by a glorious main course of roasted cod with parisienne gnocchi, was finished off with a nice rich hot chocolate brownie and coffee ice cream. Of course you expect the food to be beyond reproach when you eat at a venue such as this. However, I am increasingly of the view that well prepared food is not just enough anymore. I like to feel the experience of eating as well and in that regard Murano delivers perfectly. The food, presentation and the general relaxed but smart atmosphere deliver a refined dinning experience without the overly stuffiness of some other famous restaurants nearby.

The wine list, as you would expect from one of Ramsey's flag ship eateries, was long and complete. A decent choice by the glass actually led us to enjoy a couple of glasses white burgundy, 2006 Meursault "Les Corbin" Vincent Dancer, despite the heady list of Italian bedfellows in the wine list.

With the closure of Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental, Murano could become my new favourite lunching venue. I shall be returning again soon. Only next time it will be for dinner and to sample the great a la carte menu!

When in Rome....

A few days in Rome. Sounds fantastic doesn't it. One of the most romantic cities in the world. Good wine, good food, lovely architecture. Sounds an ideal escape for yours truly. As usual though, I was there on work and had little time to see much of this fair city. My time was spent entertaining 15 Chinese business associates and although all went well, it would have been nice to see a little more than just the hotel, restaurant and bar.

However, I can heartily recommend the Hotel Hassler. It sits atop the spanish steps, with a fantastic view across the rooftops of Rome. Its late 19th Century interiors are comfortable without being overbearing and retain the sense of restrained elegance that is all too often forgotten these days.

Its restaurant, Imago, is on the top floor with a lovely panoramic vista. At night you can look into the distance across a sea of lights whilst the hustle and bustle of Rome continues unabated below. The food is good, we had the tasting menu, with a particular highlight being the beetroot ravioli. The wines, all chosen by our sommelier, impressed and all at not too steep mark ups for city centre restaurant

Berlucchi Cellarius 2006
Les Cretes Valle D'Aosta Vigne Frissonniere 2008
Bindella Vallocaia 2003
Santo Stefano Moscato D'Asti 2006

A particular mention must be made of the staff in this establishment. They are some of the most helpful I have come across. Nothing was too much effort and believe me we certainly tested them. Last minute changes in timing, more numbers than expected arriving for dinner, even arranging shipment of wine, gifts and purchases back to China was all handled seamlessly.

Some may say it is pricey, but for its location it offers quality at what I believe to be good value. I shall be returning. Hopefully next time in my own time and with the wife.

Welcome to my blog

I've been considering this for a while now and after much cajoling from friends and colleagues have decided it is at last time to start blogging. I'll be writing about my travels around the world, my love for good food and wine and no doubt some politics as well. I am lucky enough to travel extensively in my work and it is these tales that will form the basis of my musings along with whatever else is occupying my thoughts each week. So, with that in mind lets begin......