Middlethorpe Hall Hotel and Spa has all the ingredients for an indulgent weekend away. A beautiful historic building, perfectly manicured grounds, a relaxing spa, a stone’s throw away from York and saving the best till last, the stunning food from afternoon tea to the hotel’s 2 AA rosette restaurant.
We arrived before check-in so we could spend some time relaxing in the spa and much to our surprise our room was ready for us. Straight away the one thing that stands out is the wonderful service from the greeting at the door and friendly receptionist to being shown to our room whilst being told about the history of the beautiful building we were staying in.
Our room had all the comforts for a luxurious stay and oozed oldy worldy charm with its beautiful décor, high ceiling and antique furniture. The stunning four-poster bed was the star of the room for me along with the beautiful sash windows with garden views where we saw the deer frolicking in the gardens on several occasions.
The room has a Nespresso machine along with tea, biscuits and filtered water. Fluffy dressing gowns and slippers were provided and toiletries were by luxury British brand Penhaligon.
After relaxing in the spa (which was so relaxing I fell asleep!), we made our way to the beautiful drawing room with its grand fireplaces, sparkling chandelier and impressive artwork.
Enjoying our loose leaf tea, English breakfast for me and Earl Grey for Mr B, we were both delighted when our delectable looking afternoon tea stand was placed in front of us.
There were three sandwich fillings – cheese savoury, honey-glazed ham and my favourite, smoked salmon. A delightful savoury addition not always found on a classic afternoon tea was a warm, homemade apple and black pudding sausage roll with an accompanying homemade brown sauce.
The fresh, warm homemade fruit scones were served with clotted cream and a selection of jams. I chose the classic strawberry jam, after I had lathered it with an extremely generous amount of clotted cream! It was a perfect scone.
The sweet treats not only tasted delicious, but were all beautiful to look at. There was a passionfruit and white chocolate pavlova which had a lovely balance of tart and sweet. There was a classic mini Victoria sponge.
A stunning chocolate and clementine tart which was Mr B’s favourite, and last, but not least, my favourite, a choux au craquelin filled with a luscious salted caramel cream.
We made sure we were really hungry on our visit to Middlethorpe Hall. As well as indulging in the stunning afternoon tea we also had the chef’s gourmet tasting menu to look forward to for dinner.
We dined in the hotel’s restaurant, The Oak Room, a beautiful room with candlelit tables. Before dinner you can enjoy pre-dinner drinks in the drawing room, but as we had enjoyed our afternoon tea in there earlier, we enjoyed a pre-dinner glass of fizz in the library.
Our first dish on our tasting menu journey was a ‘Sweet potato Velouté with pakora, mango, coriander’. It was wonderfully smooth and I was surprised at how much flavour there was in the small dainty bowl. With the sweetness of mango and crunch from the pakora and gentle spice it was absolutely delicious and such a fantastic balance of flavours.
Our second dish was ‘Duck, parsnip, blackberry, apple’. The richness and slight gameyness of the duck was cut through with the sweetness and sharpness of the accompaniments.
The fish course was ‘Sea Bream, Serrano ham, saffron aioli’ – this was a fantastic dish. The fish was so well cooked and fell apart with the touch of the fork whilst the crunchy ham added texture and saltiness to the dish.
The last savoury course was my favourite. It ticked all the boxes for me and would be something I would order off a menu. It was ‘Beef, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese, wild garlic, morels’ – the aged fillet of beef was full of flavour and cooked wonderfully. Truffle makes anything more superior (in my opinion) and did just that to the deep fried mac ‘n’ cheese which was crunchy on the outside and had a delicious rich cheesy filling. I always think mushrooms pair so perfectly with beef and the meaty morel did just that.
To refresh our pallets we enjoyed a ‘French Martini Sorbet’, a cocktail which I enjoy and this was a fun twist on a sorbet.
The first of the two desserts was a ‘Rhubarb, champagne sorbet, vanilla, pain d’epice’, a dessert which balanced the tartness and sweetness very well.
The last course was incredibly delicious, it was a ‘Chocolate Marquise with blood orange’. This was extremely decadent and a taste sensation. Chocolate and orange is a match made in heaven and was a divine way to end our fantastic meal.
Our foodie stay wasn’t over at Middlethorpe Hall as breakfast is also a treat. Guests can help themselves to a small but quality buffet offering freshly baked pastries, fresh fruits, cereals and yoghurts. Whilst the menu offers a variety of hot options, it was the classic Eggs Royale which I opted for.
We both sipped on well-made lattes whilst enjoying a fresh, buttery croissant.
I expected perfection and I got just that, a perfect egg with a glossy yolk, a generous amount of smoked salmon and a lovely smooth and sharp hollandaise.
Mr B enjoyed the chorizo scrambled eggs. The chorizo was crisp and lovely and spicy, he thoroughly enjoyed his as much as I did mine.
Middlethorpe Hall is a beautiful hotel which oozes charm and has an almost regal feel to it. It delivers beauty, relaxation, wonderful service and absolutely delicious food.
What a lovely sounding afternoon tea (apart from the smoked salmon 🤮), & a deliscious dinner later on , all that with beautiful surroundings xx
That bed room looks so beautiful and so does the afternoon tea
I love the look of the afternoon tea and the surroundings are simply stunning!