Ever wondered what it’s like to visit a 5* Hotel and Spa? Read on to find out more about Chewton Glen on the edge of the New Forest and The Estates Lunch*
The other week I was very kindly invited along with a friend to Chewton Glen, a very quintessential English 5* hotel and spa situated on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire to try out the new estate lunch menu in their dining room. I wanted to share my experience with you – especially the yummy food, so this update will mainly be in the form of photos.
As soon as you start driving down the long drive towards Chewton Glen you get a feeling of grandeur and walking down towards the house past the branded golf buggies, and roundabout of flowers and animal statues – you know you’ve arrived at a 5* location.
On arrival, we were met by Clive McNish the General Manager who welcomed us and took us to the bar for pre-lunch drinks so we could peruse The Estates Lunch menu.
We went for a Fitz Peach cocktail which was Fitz English sparkling peach puree at £15 – was very morish & went down very well.
We were then invited to the dining room which was lovely and airy overlooking the very well-manicured lawns and have a look at The Estates Lunch menu.
It’s a fairly new concept which started on a Friday and has been so popular they’ve extended the offering to Thursday as well. You can see why it’s so popular as they offer a 3-course meal for £39.50 – which is very reasonable at a 5* hotel. The new menu will frequently be changing to reflect what’s available both provincially and seasonally, with many ingredients straight from the Kitchen Garden.
Whilst we decided on our starter and mains over some yummy freshly cooked olive bread, we chatted to the sommelier who brought white wine for my friend to have with starters and an elderflower mocktail for me which tasted very similar to a mojito!
Starters – I went for the Pressing of Guinea Fowl, and my friend Rachel went for the Sweet Potato & Rosemary Velouté (sauce) which was a type of soup. Both were very delicious. I had never tried guinea fowl before, so made a lovely change.
Mains – I chose the Confit Duck (with king cabbage, Alsace bacon, plum and ginger), and Rachel went for Butternut Squash & Lentil Dahl. I’m a bit of a duck lover and hands down probably one of the best ones I’ve had, it just fell apart and the plum/ginger flavours were very tantalising. I was also impressed that I wasn’t too full up – which meant there was plenty of room for pudding.
Pudding – we both went for the New Forest Strawberry Pavlova with crème Chantilly and rhubarb sorbet – it did not disappoint and was so good, I could have happily eaten it again.
Lunch was washed down with a pot of tea and chocolates (at an extra cost of £5.50), before going for a walk around the grounds.
We headed to the large Kitchen Garden which is starting to take shape for the year ahead, it was a lovely spot with a variety of sculptures as well which we weren’t expecting.
We had a walk round to the front of the main house, sadly it was a little bit chilly and starting to rain so didn’t stay too long outside, but can imagine in the warmer weather it’s a delightful place to spend time walking around the 130 acres and having a sneak peek on the tree house accommodation – which looks impressive online.
Overall, we had a wonderful time at the very luxurious Chewton Glen 5* Hotel & Spa and would thoroughly recommend The Estates Lunch, it really is great value at £39.50 for 3 courses, with delicious food and 5* service and the chance to walk around the hotel and grounds. Perfect for a special occasion or just any occasion to try out good food in a beautiful location.
Have you ever been to Chewton Glen or any other lovely English hotels that you’d recommend?
To find out more visit:
- Website – www.chewtonglen.com
- Estates Lunch Menu
- Instagram – @chewtonglen
- Facebook – Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa
*PR invite to try out The Estates Lunch menu.
