...brings a week of content, so that's the moto we went by last Sunday. After a much needed lie in, we went for a long sunny dog walk with our pup Nelly and then got dressed up for a lunch at Lords of the Manor. We slept on the sofa in the afternoon to Pretty Women (my choice) and then had friends over for a pancake tea...heaven!
So Lords of the Manor was epic and I couldn't recommend it enough. It was the kind of place you could take the family for an afternoon tea treat or a slap up Sunday lunch, dressed up or dressed down (we dressed up...don't go out much!) and feel like every penny was worth it.
We went on a Sunday so took advantage of the Sunday lunch menu. On a rare sunny Sunday this may (seems to have rained for the last 2 weeks!) we started with a leisurely walk around their beautiful English gardens and sat and had a glass of champagne on the terrace whilst browsing over the menus and tucking into out truffle arancini balls and mackerel mille feuille.
Lords of the Manor is without doubt what you would describe as fine dining, so I wasn't expecting the Sunday lunch to be as hearty as it was (I'm talking Yorkshire puddings the size of your head, crispy roast potatoes, creamy cauliflower cheese and good lashings of gravy) however whilst not forgetting the finesse of its surrounds i.e. the gravy was poured for you and the horseradish was served with a silver spoon!
My absolute favorite course was my desert choice which swiftly reminded us we were in a Michelin starred restaurant. I had pineapple carpaccio, with pistachio genoise, pineapple icecream with gold leaf, white chocolate mouse and candied coffee beans. and all sorts of other lovely things. Then we topped off dinner with coffee out in the garden and chocolate truffles with a passion fruit center made in house.
The whole dining experience was fabulous, kudos to the newly appointed head chef Charles Smith who without doubt will hold up the Michelin torch for Lords the Manor.
The staff were attentive and friendly and we enjoyed chatting to the waiter about the chef and overhearing him chatting to a family about his hometown, Paris.
The only downside was that the decor of the dining rooms itself wasn't to my taste but it has a quintessential and traditional English fine dining feel to it which many would appreciate and really is down to personal taste. The grandeur of the lounges, gardens and entrance speaks for itself and you certainly know you are in a special place when you walk through those walled gardens to the reception.
My Sunday well spent with my hubby was largely down to the fact that Megs cocked up her dates so couldn't come with me...sorry Meggie! We'll definitely be back...together next time. So after a couple of glasses of bubbly before and couple of glasses of red during (from their 1000 bin wine cellar by the way) , it was time to head home for that nap on the sofa. Perfect.
