5 minute read
DINING OUT Autumn dining is as enjoyable as ever at Hambleton Hall.
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REMEMBER, REMEMBER... not just on the fifth, but throughout November, that just down the road from where you live, there’s a dining room that is regarded not just as one of the area’s best restaurants, but one of the best in the country. Though there could be few residents of Rutland and Stamford who are oblivious to the presence of Hambleton Hall, on the peninsular adjacent to Rutland Water, it’s also easy to take for granted what we have on our doorstep, overlooking what’s right in front of us.
It’s difficult to find fresh words to praise a country house hotel that’s so well-established, but perhaps the best compliment anyone could pay Hambleton Hall is that it’s remained consistently and unwaveringly excellent ever since it opened, back in 1980. It’s hard to recall a pre-Aaron Patterson era Hambleton Hall, but the hotel had a couple of head chefs including Nick Gill – brother of the restaurant critic AA – in its earlier days. That was before the stars aligned and Aaron came to the hotel in 1984. Aaron left, then returned as Head Chef in 1992, and has protected the hotel’s Michelin-star status ever since. In addition to its flagship boast,
OPEN FOR FOOD
Lunch: Monday to Saturday 12noon – 2.30pm. Evening: Monday to Saturday 7pm – 9pm. Sunday Lunch: 12noon – 2.30pm. the hotel has four AA rosettes for its food, for its rooms and it is affiliated with both Pride of Britain and Relais & Châteaux.
Whilst accolades are convenient shorthand to express how universally well-thought of Hambleton Hall is, though, they’re only half the story. Whilst the place is undoubtedly smart and offers peerless dining, the hotel never ever feels stuffy or aloof. In fact, its team is as welcoming and as accommodating and as warm as anywhere else you’ll ever dine, perhaps due to the assuredness and confidence that comes from knowing they’re one of the best country house hotels in the whole of the UK.
Aaron leads a brigade of 16 chefs, a necessarily large team given the complexity of the dishes the kitchen turns out. >>
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Starters Terrine of heritage carrot with spiced carrot ice cream. Chicken live parfait with tomato chutney. Lasagne of girolle mushrooms with Iberico ham and grappa sauce. Ballotine of red mullet with wakame seaweed and yuzu. Main Courses Roast presa pork with braised kohlrabi, apple and crackling. Roast guinea fowl, pea and mint risotto, morels and Madeira sauce.
Loin of Launde farm lamb, roast aubergine, feta and red pepper purée. Pan fried fillet of John Dory, English asparagus, sautéed prawns, mousseron mushrooms and Vermouth sauce.
Lobster tortellini, fennel and lobster bisque (£3/supp). Desserts Hambleton Hall tiramisu.
Apricot soufflé with caramelised almond ice cream.
Passion fruit and banana tartlet with peanut butter ice cream.
Hambleton Hall, Ketton Road, Oakham LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.
NB: All menu items are subject to change. >> Aaron is always keen to acknowledge the part that Hambleton Hall’s Restaurant Director Graeme Matheson, Sommelier Dominique Baduel and General Manager Chris Hurst each play in creating the whole Hambleton Hall experience.
Owners Tim and Stefa Hart are still very much invested in welcoming guests to the hotel, with Tim working closely with Hambleton Hall’s gardeners to curate roughly 17-acres of beautiful surroundings. Meanwhile, interior designer Stefa contributes a careful eye to ensure the hotel’s interiors evolve, without ever losing the classic style the hotel has always maintained.
Stefa is responsible, too, for the look and feel of the hotel’s 17 beautiful rooms and suites and for the look and feel of the dining room, drawing room and other communal areas.
Dining at Hambleton Hall, then, is by way of a main à la carte dinner menu of three courses priced at £83/head, with four starter course options, four main courses plus an additional two ‘gourmet’ choices which are subject to a supplement. Typically there are four dessert options, plus a well-curated cheese board and coffee served with ‘sweet delights.’ Hambleton Hall’s menu changes daily and utilises ingredients from the hotel’s kitchen garden as well as local suppliers.
Once Covid clears off, Aaron and the team will also reinstate the availability of their tasting menu, which typically comprises six courses for £95.
There’s a reasonable Lunch for Less promo from Monday to Friday offering two or three courses for £38.50 and £48 respectively.
The Lunch for Less menu runs alongside an à la carte lunchtime menu too. For a satisfying Sunday lunch, there’s also Hambleton Hall’s provision of sirloin of beef, or Launde lamb with all of the trimmings you’d expect.
It’s a great shame that Hambleton Hall’s 40th anniversary celebrations last year were scuppered and in the current year, the hotel has been so busy that it had been impossible to restart their events programme. Ordinarily, this includes an annual dinner with live arias courtesy of Nevill Holt Opera’s ‘up and comings,’ plus motorsport days run in conjunction with Palmer Sport and wine tasting evenings. We hope that normal service can resume very soon, but until then, there’s still plenty to appeal in the comfortable surroundings of a hotel regarded as one of the best not just locally, but anywhere in the UK. n
MEET THE CHEF
AARON PATTERSON
Aaron leads a brigade of 16 chefs to create meticulous dishes which reflect Hambleton Hall’s four AA rosettes, and its Michelin Star. He has served as the hotel’s Head Chef since 1992.
