A luxurious stay at Middlethorpe Hall Hotel – York

A beautiful country house, 20 acres of perfectly manicured gardens, superb service and a 2 AA rosette restaurant. Middlethorpe Hall was the perfect place for our two-night break away which was also our first hotel stay since lockdown.

The hotel had very good measures in place including temperature checks on arrival and hand sanitizer stations in all entrances and exits.

There are 29 rooms in total, both in the main house and courtyard. Our room was in the main house and was fit for a queen! I loved the traditional decor and along with the four-poster bed I did feel like royalty staying in this room!

It had beautiful high ceilings and large sash windows which were lovely to admire the stunning views looking over the pristine gardens.

Our tea tray came with teabags, biscuits and a Nespresso machine. We also had a hygiene kit which contained hand sanitizer, disposable face masks and antibacterial wipes.

Our bathroom had a lovely bath with overhead shower, Penhaligon Quercus toiletries and very soft and fluffy towels and robes.

You can do as much or as little as you like whilst staying at Middlethorpe Hall. It is located only two miles away from York city centre, but our stay was focused around relaxation so we had a stroll into the local village and enjoyed spending time exploring the beautiful hotel gardens.

You are free to wander and there are lots of flowering shrubs, fruit trees, herbs, a kitchen garden and a rose garden.

Luckily, the sun was shining the day we arrived so we got to enjoy an afternoon tea alfresco. We had the choice of whether to dine inside or out, but when the British weather is being kind to us we like to make the most of it!

Our finger sandwiches were ‘North Atlantic Prawn, lemon creme fraiche and baby gem’, ‘free-range egg mayonnaise, tomato and watercress’ and ‘honey-roast Ham, wholegrain mustard and baby leaves’.

Something which I loved on our afternoon tea was the addition of a homemade sausage roll! It was utterly delicious!

The freshly-made warm scones were a delight, especially when smothered with jam and clotted cream!

We were spoilt for choice when it came to the pastries. On our stand was a mini Victoria sponge, apricot delice, chocolate eclair, strawberry mousse and a violet macaron.

They were, of course, all scrumptious! However, the violet macaron and Victoria sponge were my favourites as they were just so well made and absolutely yummy!

On our second night we dined in the hotel’s 2 AA rosette restaurant. We began our evening with the perfect start to any meal – champagne and canapes!

To start I chose the salmon with carrot, red curry and dressed crab. The salmon was very well cooked and the sweetness of the crab and slight spice from the curry made it a delicious start to my meal.

Mr B opted for the mackerel, beetroot, horseradish and fennel. As a big mackerel fan, Mr B loved this dish.

I decided what I was having for main as soon as I saw it on the menu and boy did I choose well! I had the ‘Aged fillet of Waterford Farm beef, barbequed celeriac, oxtail bonbon and cepe powder’. The beef was perfectly pink and so very tender. The accompaniments were very well balanced and delicious, but didn’t take away from the star of the show which was the beef.

Mr B chose the ‘Chicken, chorizo, sweetcorn and hens egg.’ The chicken was very moist, with the chorizo adding a lovely ‘kick’ to the dish and, of course, the hen’s egg had a lovely runny yolk!

For dessert I went for the selection of British cheeses, which came with chutney, grapes, celery and a selection of biscuits. I enjoyed all four cheeses (the sheep’s cheese was my favourite).

Mr B had the chocolate and cherry rocky road. It had lots of delicious elements including a cherry sorbet and rich chocolate mousse.

After a good night’s sleep, we were welcomed into breakfast both mornings. There was a varied choice from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, grilled kippers to a full Yorkshire breakfast.

My favourite was the homemade pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup. I adore the sweet and salty combination of bacon and maple syrup. Combine that with perfectly homemade pancakes and you have a winner for me!

Our stay at Middlethorpe Hall was a truly relaxing break away. We felt completely at ease and loved spending time exploring the beautiful hotel and perfectly manicured gardens whilst being very well looked after and, of course, enjoying lots of delicious food!