A Postcard from Cambridge The Guest Book This month’s top picks
2016 Edition 11
The Infotel Specials
DECEMBER DESTINATIONS FULL OF CHRISTMAS CHEER!
PAMPER
IN 2017 IT’S SPA TIME
CHEF
Geraldine Gay
Get’s Festive!
Don’t Miss Out!
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CONTENTS
Pamper in the
New Year!
5 1028
4 5 8 9 10
The Guest Book
December Dates for the Diary
Bridgehouse Hotel Marygreen Manor Pamper in the New Year!
Back Cover: Stoke Rochford Hall
14 15 16 18 19 20
In the Therapist’s Chair - Interview
Bridgemary Manor
Infotel Business Christmas Opening Times Padbrook Park Hotel Golf & Country Club Let the Food do the Talking
22 24 25 26 28
A Postcard from Cambridge Top Picks in Cambridge Ship Inn The Infotel Specials Chef’s Corner Free Recipe
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This month’s collection of Infotel properties to check-in to
Mallory Court Hotel Warwickshire
The Bell Inn Wiltshire
Hartfell House & The Limetree Dumfriesshire
Chimneys Hotel Co. Durham
Victoria Lodge Guest House Wiltshire
Galaxie Private Hotel
Burlington Hotel Devon
Oxfordshire
Finch Hatton Arms Hotel Lincolnshire
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Waterside Serviced Rooms, Cottages & Apartments Oxfordshire
Swan Inn & Motel Norfolk
DATES FOR THE DIARY
December
Turn a day into destination downtime! Looking for a last minute getaway with plenty of festive good cheer? This month’s comprehensive Dates for the Diary dishes up destinations ready to charm all the family!
A trip to Durham in December delivers something different with the traditional Christmas Market held in and around the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. A huge craft and gift fair with over 190 carefully selected stalls, a local food producers market, entertainment including carol services, jazz and brass bands combine to set a spectacular scene the first weekend in December.
To make Durham your destination >> For some animal magic with a difference take the children to Chester Zoo where Santa and his sleigh await your arrival. Take a magical journey through a constellation of stars, discover amazing animal lanterns and see lots of zoo favourites, woodland creatures, puppets and festive characters in the enchanted forest. Now in its fifth year, The Lanterns of Chester Zoo is great for all ages and is guaranteed to light up children’s faces... and adults too!
For a candlelit stay in Chester >> 5
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Christmas isn’t Christmas without A Christmas Carol. Take a step back into the past with a visit to the Plymouth house where Charles Dickens was born. The special weekend celebration runs from 8 to 11 December and showcases middle class tastes of the time with furniture, ceramics, glass and decorations which have been faithfully maintained and are now displayed where the great writer was born.
To combine a Christmas past with a Christmas present in Plymouth >>
For a touch of frost head to Sunderland any time from 26 November until Christmas Eve to experience the sparkling Frost Village and traditional Christmas market. A real ice rink will be in the heart of Keel Square, mouth-watering treats at the market and a 15 metre Ferris Wheel, standing tall over Sunderland’s landmarks, is just one of the fairground attractions adding to the festive fever.
To slumber in Sunderland >>
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DATES FOR THE DIARY
If you want to step away from commercialism, commemorate the shortest day of the year in Brighton with the annual Winter Solstice Burning the Clocks parade. People from across the city create stunning paper and willow lanterns which they parade through the streets before reaching the beach where the lanterns become part of a blazing bonfire. The parade makes a most magical atmosphere with over 2000 people taking part and the fireworks display on the beach which follows, is spectacular.
For a bright stay in Brighton >>
After an absence of 30 years, pantomime is returning to the West End’s most famous theatre. The London Palladium will be home to a star-studded production of Cinderella, with Paul O’Grady, Julian Clarey and Amanda Holden topping the bill in what’s likely to be the most lavish and spectacular pantomime production this year. A frozen adventure playground of fun awaits in London at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland where along with ice-skating there’s big-top shows, an observation wheel, Christmas themed activities and a huge Christmas market.
Grab an invite to the ball and be charmed in one of these hotels >>
For a Hyde Park hideaway >> 7
FEATURE
Bridgehouse Hotel Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3AY
£145 01775 843413
From
Lines open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
From the log fires crackling in the centuries-old inglenooks to the candle-lit panelled Georgian dining room, this country retreat, with its mullioned windows, ancient beams and thick stone walls oozes character. A former priest’s home, dating back over 700 years, guests can take their pick from a luxury room in the main house or one of the outside Coach House rooms. All are individually designed and decorated to a high standard with Molton Brown toiletries and waffle bathrobes in the luxury bathrooms, free WiFi, flat screen TVs, and tea and coffee making facilities.
“Delightful hotel with a warm and friendly atmosphere” A Trip Advisor Reviewer
At the heart of the hotel is the 2 AA Rosette restaurant, where you’ll find a rare blend of ancient and modern cooking, using meat and fish from local farms and fishing ports, wherever possible. Turn to page 20 to meet Bridgehouse Hotel’s award-winning Head Chef Geraldine Gay.
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30 On-site
Free WiFi Restaurant
Bar
Weddings
Christmas Parties
Bowling Alley
Golf
Fishing
Check In 3.00pm
Check Out 11.00am
FEATURE
Marygreen Manor Brentwood, Essex CM14 4NR
£57 .20 01775 843413
From
Lines open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
This delightful boutique hotel in the heart of Essex has history dating back to the Tudor times when it was home to Henry Roper, Catherine of Aragon’s gentleman servant. Wood panelled walls, oak beams and the ornate ceiling in the lounge set the scene in this fine example of early century architecture. The hotel’s award-winning restaurant, Tudors, is in the original Baronial Hall and has a vast vaulted ceiling and barley twist columns, offers diners a choice of a la carte or a six course Chef’s Tasting Menu.
“The staff were welcoming and attentive and our courtyard rooms were peaceful and comfortable, overlooking the lovely garden”
All 44 en-suite bedrooms have work desks, free WiFi, flat-screen TV and tea and coffee making facilities, with some rooms providing garden views or opt for a suite in the annexed lodge with Jacuzzi tubs.
A Trip Advisor Reviewer
Easily accessible from junction 28 on the M25 and junction 11 on the A12 with Brentwood train station just over a mile away. The hotel provides plenty of free on-site car parking.
100 On-site
Free WiFi Restaurant /Catering
Bar
24hr Reception
Weddings
Christmas Parties
Golf Nearby
Fishing Nearby
Check In 2.00pm
Check Out 11.00am
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PAMPER
Pamper in the
New Year!
Old Thorns Manor Hotel Golf & Country Estate is set in 400 acres
of picturesque Hampshire countryside and dates back to the 17th Century. Steeped in history, it combines the best of both worlds with a choice of accommodation, from a modern, contemporary four bedroom apartment to stunning superior rooms or experience the estates eco-pods with a touch of glamping! 10
After the chaos of Christmas, recharge and renew with some special spa time. Guaranteed to put the spring in your step and leave you ready to face 2017 with new vigour and vitality, our Spa Collection is the perfect excuse for chasing away the winter blues.
Elegant décor, fluffy pillows and luxurious showers add to the overall feeling of being somewhere special, of being somebody special. And then there’s the Spa! Health, fitness and wellness delivered by a highly trained professional team offering an unrivalled choice of aromatherapy, therapeutic and indulgent treatments. A relaxation room, 15 treatment rooms and a
private balcony for spa guests, plus wet-spa facilities in the health club, which includes a 20m pool, sub-tropical bubble pool, steam room, sauna, foot spas and heated loungers, all add to this fabulous four star stay. A package including spa treatments, dinner, B&B and a double superior room start from £109 per person.
PAMPER
Swaddled in 157 acres of landscaped grounds,
Hallmark Hotel The Welcombe Stratford upon Avon is within
sonnet-shouting distance of William Shakespeare’s birthplace.
Sumptuous and stylish rooms, apartments and suites are available, blending the tastefully modern with the resplendently historic, including four-poster beds,
rich fabric drapes and even a bathroom decorated with hand-painted murals.
century heat wave to your stay, plus there’s solo and dual treatment rooms available.
Fabulously fluffy bathrobes and towels welcome you to the light, bright and modern spa, which tips a therapeutic wink to the past with a trail of ancient Roman thermal treatments.
Accommodation starts from £91 per night. Treatments start at £33.
An al fresco vitality pool, tropical rain shower and Swedish sauna add a 21st
Turn to page 14 for a quick-fire interview with Helen Beasley, therapist at The Welcombe Spa.
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PAMPER
Pamper in the
New Year!
The spa at
Hartwell House Hotel, Restaurant & Spa is housed in a
splendid building modelled on an orangery. Home to a generous sized swimming pool, spa bath, steam room, saunas, outdoor hot tub and a well-equipped gymnasium, it offers a wide range of treatments. A quick-fix 25 minute instant eye repair with aromatherapy 12
oils designed to leave your eyes fresh, bright and youthful or the Uplift your Mood treatment and its 115 minutes of indulgent pampering, are two of our favourites. If coughs and sneezes spread diseases then the Immune Recovery treatment will cleanse, clear and decongest, or drift away with the head-to-toe Sleep Deeply massage. Pure bliss!
If a new year’s cleanse is the prescription pick the Detox and Revive scrub and wrap treatment; combining zingy citrus oils, it’ll kick any sluggishness into touch, leaving you bursting with energy. Prices for treatments start from £41 with accommodation from £175 per night.
PAMPER
If a new year retreat means a total escape from the UK then The Orchard
Wellness & Health Resort in Malaysia delivers in style.
Stay in luxury suites or private garden or pool villas, exquisitely designed and decorated, and with a pillow menu consisting of Bamboo Charcoal Classic Gel Memory Pillows, Buckwheat Hull and ergonomic Massage Latex Pillows…to name a few!
Gluten free and tailor-made meals are created by the on-site nutritionists who follow a farm to table philosophy where the resort’s own organic vegetables, herbs and fruit trees are harvested as well as their own organic, free-range chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, cows and stock from the organic fishponds. You can enjoy an array of local Malaysian delicacies and popular international dishes in the restaurant. The Be-Well Spa will take your body on a wet and dry,
warm and cold temperature journey combining FIR sauna, Jacuzzi and steam room with the cold plunge pool and showers to open and cleanse your skin, leaving you ready to experience the treatments on offer; signature massages, rejuvenating therapies, body wraps and exfoliation, facials, foot care and yoga. Prices start from £137, based on two staying in a deluxe suite and includes breakfast.
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INTERVIEW
In the
Therapist’s Chair The 90 second quick-fire interview
Helen Beasley has been working in the spa at Hallmark Hotel The Welcombe in Stratford-upon-Avon for the last seven years. She has a BA honours degree If you were a guest what in Business Management, a Foundation degree in treatments or therapies Spa Management and a BTEC in Beauty Sciences.
would you have? Facials! I love a facial because they are so relaxing. I always fall asleep!
Why do you recommend people have a massage? And which ones are available? Massages are important as they help to release the build-up of tension in muscles. We offer deep tissue, Indian head massage, reflexology, pregnancy and Swedish massage.
What’s a popular treatment/therapy at the moment with ladies? And with men? With ladies it’s Elemis facials and a body massage for men.
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What products do you use? Do you have a favourite? Why? Elemis face and body, Jessica nails and I love Elemis Super Food Facial Oil because it gives the skin a lovely radiant, healthy glow. How do you take care of yourself? Following a shower I do a full body moisturise, and then I cleanse and moisturise my face twice a day. Do guests need to book in advance or can they book treatments once they’ve checked-in to the hotel? It’s advisable so we can make sure we have availability and the right amount of time for different treatments. If you’re ready to rejuvenate with a super spa stay in Stratford-upon-Avon follow our link >>
FEATURE
Bridgemary Manor Gosport, Hampshire PO13 0JY
£62 01775 843413
From
Lines open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
Close to Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth, this family run hotel consists of. The bar and dining area are open seven days a week to hotel guests and non-residents with the restaurant serving good quality homemade food, from light snacks, main meals and vegetarian options, cooked breakfasts and Sunday roasts.
“Plenty of parking, great breakfast, friendly staff. Would recommend”
Portsmouth Ferry Port is only a 15 minute drive away and the beach at Lee-on-the-Solent is less than ten minutes by car.
A Trip Advisor Reviewer
25 On-site
Free WiFi Restaurant /Catering
Bar
24hr CCTV
Private Parties
Live Music
Golf Nearby
Check In 2.00pm
Check Out 11.00am
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FEATURE
Padbrook Park Hotel Golf & Country Club Cullompton, Devon EX15 1RU
£65 01775 843413
From £90
Lines open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
Padbrook Park Hotel, Golf & Country Club is located in the heart of the Culm Valley at the southern end of Cullompton, just 15 minutes from Exeter and its airport. A total of 40 bedrooms, ranging from king size, double, twin through to family rooms and deluxe rooms with a canopied bed and two person Jacuzzis are available. Ripley’s Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and evening meals plus a popular Sunday carvery and the on-site health and fitness centre, hair and beauty salon plus an 18 hole par 72 golf course, completes the extensive leisure facilities.
250 On-site
Free WiFi Restaurant /Catering
Bar
Weddings
“We had dinner and breakfast in the restaurant and the food and staff were excellent. The room was nice, clean and spacious” A Trip Advisor Reviewer
Beautician
Gym
PGA Golf
Fishing
Check In 2.00pm
Check Out 11.00am
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INTERVIEW
Bridge House Hotel & Restaurant is renowned for its award-winning food, and is proud to boast two Rosettes and Gold Winner in the Taste of the West Awards for four years running. Head Chef Geraldine Gay sources the best local ingredients from across Dorset and her menu evolves with the seasons and includes dishes such as roasted rack of local lamb, line caught sea bass and locally grown asparagus. 20
INTERVIEW
Let the food do the talking What made you want to be a chef and how long have you been doing it? I have a passion for food and have been a chef for the last seven years. What do you look for when you create a new dish or menu? What’s your main considerations? I try to create something everyone loves and will use local seasonal produce wherever possible. What’s proving to be the most popular dish on your menu this month and why do you think that is? Plaice is very popular at the moment. We source it locally and it’s served with a wonderful combination of flavours. The #shelfie - a chef’s five must have herbs and spices always available on the shelf! What are yours and why? Salt, pepper, garlic, flat parsley and corriander. Good food is always well seasoned!
If you were stranded on a desert island and allowed one item or ingredient from your kitchen, what would it be? Garlic. I use it at home and work. You’re sharing a recipe with our readers today, why did you choose this one? It’s a caramelised shallot and goat’s cheese tartlet. We use a local Dorset goat’s cheese at Bridge House. The tartlet is really easy to make at home, full of flavour and works really well this time of year as a starter plus it looks really pretty!
What’s your favourite cuisine and why? Thai. I love all the flavours. Do any celebrity chefs inspire you? And if you had to compare yourself to one, who would you say you most resemble in terms of cooking style and/or temperament? I have always admired Michel Roux junior. I like his calm positive attitude.
Enjoy our free recipe in this month’s Chef’s Corner! Turn to page 28
Which famous person, dead or alive, would you love to cook for and what would you serve them? I love to cook for anyone. No one springs to mind. I enjoy cooking vegetarian food as I like to show people how interesting it can be. 21
A POSTCARD FROM...
Cambridge A city for all seasons, Cambridge has much to offer; majestic college buildings, beautiful art galleries and museums, an historic market place, boutique and high street shopping, live entertainment and of course, punting on the River Cam. With Christmas approaching is there anything more enchanting than the sublime Choir of King’s College? Celebrated for its choral services, including the famous A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which is broadcast live across the globe by the BBC on Christmas Eve, Choral Evensong is sung most days during term-time and is free and open to everyone to attend.
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Take time to discover the works of art and antiquities on show at The Fitzwilliam Museum. Masterpieces by Rubens, Canaletto, Constable, Monet and Picasso plus collections from ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt make this one of the nation’s most important art collections.
A POSTCARD FROM... Cambridge’s oldest craft bakery, Fitzbillies, is famous for its Chelsea buns, traditional cakes and soda bread. The beautiful art nouveau designed cake shop, café and restaurant serves savoury tarts, pies and sausage rolls, English cheeses, hams and soups as well as fulfilling the needs of those with a sweet tooth! On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, Fitzbillies turns into a restaurant featuring the cooking of head chef Rosie Sykes.
You don’t need to be a shopaholic to appreciate the eclectic choice Cambridge provides. Potter around the cobbled Market Square for vintage clothes, quirky gifts, fine cheeses, fresh coffee beans and books and paintings or head to the open air All Saints Garden Art and Craft Market, opposite Trinity College. Running every Saturday, artisan products and quality arts and crafts are on sale. Rose Crescent, Trinity Street, Magdalene Street, Bridge Street and King Street are home to excellent independent shops and chic cafes with the Grand Arcade, the city’s newest shopping centre, offering over 60 premium and high street brands under one roof.
For a vibrant Brooklyn style dining experience, Butch Annie’s is a burger and rib joint on Market Street where the focus is the best ingredients sourced from some of the country’s finest small-scale producers. Keeping the menu concise and the choice exciting, including vegetarian burgers, award-winning craft ales and lagers plus farm-pressed ciders and natural wines, Butch Annie’s is different, delightful and downright delicious!
The Cambridge Backs is a stretch of reclaimed land running along the back of the riverside colleges on the River Cam. Several famous bridges, including the Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs cross the river and provide stunning views of the landscape, colleges and river. In 1772 St John’s College consulted English landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who laid out a ‘wilderness’ on the college side of Queen’s Road, which still exists today. The best way to appreciate The Backs is by hiring a chauffered punt and sitting back to enjoy an informative and engaging river tour.
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TOP PICKS
Don’t take a punt on your accommodation! Our Cambridge Collection ticks all the boxes for an ideal stay >>
Hallmark Hotel Cambridge >>
Crown & Punchbowl >>
Fenners Hotel >> Holiday Inn Express Cambridge Duxford >>
Abbotsley Golf Hotel >>
Old School Guest House >>
Citystay Serviced Apartments >> Lakeside Lodge Golf Centre >>
Ramada Hotel Cambridge >>
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Hardwicke Arms >>
View more >>
FEATURE
Ship Inn
Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0PT
£65 01775 843413
From
Lines open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
This 16th Century inn has always been at the heart of Lerryn’s community. It provides a choice of five en-suite rooms or two cottages; Tide’s Reach on the river and Manely, located in a small hamlet nearby. Rooms at the inn have their own entrance and consist of a well appointed ground floor double room over-looking neighbouring cottages or four first floor rooms, including a family room, with views over the garden, cottages and river. All rooms are en-suite, tastefully decorated and have tea and coffee making facilities and TVs. The bar and restaurant serves an extensive choice of real ales, such as Cornish Knocker, Cornish Blonde and Betty Stoggs plus a wide selection of wines and spirits.
“Made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived, a hearty English breakfast, and a great weekend in what felt like home from home” A Trip Advisor Reviewer
Chef Hasan Akkos has created a menu of locally sourced, seasonal produce for meat eaters, fish lovers and vegetarians to enjoy.
10 On-site
Free WiFi Restaurant
Bar
Check In 2.00pm
Check Out 11.00am
25
Douglas Hotel Co. Durham Complimentary drink at the bar
Royal Ettrick Hotel Midlothian Save as much as ÂŁ80 on bedrooms
Whitsand Bay Hotel Cornwall Two nights stay with money off extras
Chy an Albany Hotel Cornwall Complimentary dinner with a 2 night stay
Innkeepers Lodge Castleton, Peak District Derbyshire Saver offers for 2017
Kilworth House Hotel Leicestershire The perfect escape with money off
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01775 843413
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Skelwith Bridge Hotel Cumbria Christmas House Party & New Year Packages
Queensberry Hotel & Olive Tree Restaurant Somerset Save ÂŁs on nights away
Ocean View Hotel Dorset Winter Warmer with complimentary wine
Citysuites Gtr Manchester The Business Week Manchester money saver
Llangoed Hall Powys A Charming Christmas break
Angel Hotel Monmouthshire Michelin starred Foodie Delight Deal
Hintlesham Hotel Suffolk Champagne, tea & stay package
Headingley Lodge Hotel Yorkshire Discounted stay
Tally Ho Hotel Oxfordshire Stay & save with over ÂŁ30 off rooms
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Caramelised Shallot & Goat’s Cheese Tartlet by Geraldine Gay (makes 4 tartlets)
CHEF’S CORNER
Ingredients
Geraldine’s recipe is a delicious winter warming vegetarian tartlet, perfect as a festive starter, a lunch time treat or baked in batches for a Christmas party.
2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry 8 banana shallots 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp red onion marmalade salt and pepper 300g hard goat’s cheese 1 egg beaten
Method Preheat oven to 180*C. To prepare the filling for the tartlets, peel the shallots, cut in half lengthways and trim off the root end. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the shallots flat side down and cook until starting to brown. Add a little salt and pepper, turn over and add the balsamic vinegar. Place in the oven for 8 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool. Using a circular cutter approx 5.5” wide, cut four rings of the puff pastry. Using a 4.5” cutter cut a smaller ring out of the circle of pastry you have already cut. This will leave you with a 4.5” circle of pastry and a 5.5” ring of pastry. Brush the smaller piece of pastry with the beaten egg, then lay the ring of pastry around the edge, you will have to cut this and trim a little off... it will now be the border for your tartlets. Egg wash the border of the tartlet and prick the centre with a fork. Bake the tartlets for 10 minutes, remove from the oven, if the centres have risen gently push down with the back of a spoon. Place a tablespoon of onion marmalade in the centre of each tart and spread so the middle is covered. Divide the shallot filling between the four tartlets and then crumble over the goats cheese. Place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Drizzle the tartlets with a little balsamic vinegar and serve with some dressed leaves.
To enjoy all of Geraldine’s menu, book your stay at Bridgehouse Hotel >> 29
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