Review: Widbrook Grange

Those people that know me well know that there’s not a lot I love more than an old, converted barn. So, when we were invited to experience a stay at the stunning Widbrook Grange, a totally restored farmhouse dating back to the early 1830s, I jumped at the chance! Read on to see just how good it was...

Now that the clocks have sprung forward and we’re given that extra hour of daylight, we’re afforded a little taster of the summer to come. I, for one, can’t wait until I can get back to making the most of the long summer evenings, and as I drove up the lengthy, private driveway up to Widbrook Grange, watching rabbits hopping around the fields either side of me, I had a good feeling about my upcoming stay.

We pulled up in front of the main house and were instantly surrounded by a myriad of curiosities that would come to define our time here. As the light was still on our side, we decided to have a little walk around the gardens before checking in. Around the winding paths, under archways and tucked near the tidy plants was authentic farm machinery, an enormous chess set and a collection of steampunk-style animal sculptures made up of all sorts of mechanical bric-a-brac. I’d not even stepped in the place yet and my camera phone hadn’t stopped clicking!

As we stepped in to Reception to check in, we were greeted with a huge smile by Nick, who was happy to see us and dig out our details. Looking around the interior, there were fascinating gadgets and ornaments everywhere you look, but it all seems to live in perfect harmony. Whoever is responsible for the design of the hotel definitely knows what they’re doing and the overall aesthetic is incredible. Once we were given the key to our room, Nick proudly gave us the tour. We were shown about the main house, with its cosy reception rooms, lounge/bar area, and restaurant. We then stepped outside and took a stroll through a courtyard – past the original outbuildings and more fabulous bits-and-bobs – through to the fitness suite, which included a heated indoor pool and gym, before ending at our room.

The room, which echoed the cosy-farmhouse-cottage feel of the main house, still had an element of the quirky touches of decoration, but feels a little more toned-back and calming, perfect for a relaxing retreat. Not long after we snooped around the room, checked out the bathroom and tea and coffee making facilities, it was time to head to the bar for a quick apéritif before taking our seats for dinner. Our barman, Nick (who did a fantastic job of playing receptionist, tour guide, barman and later, waiter) took the time to explain that they had an embarrassment of riches when it came to their bar offering, but it was the fifty-two different gins that really caught our eye. I went for a classic Hammer & Son Old English and tonic, while my wife opted for the fruitier Gilbey’s Gin and tonic. Once we had discussed the subtle differences of our two gins we were asked to be shown through to our seats.

The menu we were presented with was as wonderfully varied as the hotel itself and we were absolutely spoilt for choice, but decided that because it all looked so good, we couldn’t go far wrong and ordered the following:

To start I ordered the pickled fillet of mackerel, olive biscuit, cucumber carpaccio and dill cucumber sorbet, which was flavourful and fresh thanks to the cucumber, making this dish a great option to get my taste buds going. The olive biscuit the fish was served on became moist and chewy, which totally worked with the rest of the textures on the plate. My wife ordered the lightly smoked duck breast, pear celery chutney and basil brioche which went down very well. Duck can sometimes be a little fatty, but this was prepared to perfection and my wife was able to finish the whole thing.

The main event was pan roasted pork tenderloin, crispy almond pig cheek, leek and sweet potato gratin, wild mushrooms and beer jus. I do enjoy a good pork dish, and this main served up two very different, but equally delicious options. The tenderloin was a wonderful cut which went perfectly with the jus, and the crispy almond pig cheek was crumbly and delicious. I’d not had a sweet potato gratin before, but wasn’t surprised to find that it was creamy and delicious. I wanted to order a glass of wine to accompany my main, and after Googling “what wine goes with pork” I asked for a burgundy. Nick, however, suggested the Acordeon Tupungato Malbec Valle De Uco. I’m not the biggest connoisseur of wine, but found it the complimented my meal very well indeed, and very reasonably priced.

My dining partner opted for the 28-day aged sirloin steak, grilled Portobello mushrooms, tomato, turnip green peppercorn sauce with and cut chips. Simple yet effective, the steak is cooked to order and the turnip green peppercorn sauce was an absolute revelation, which had a lighter flavour than previous peppercorn sauces I’ve tried.

It was time for dessert, and as I was still nursing my wine, my wife decided to order a pot of tea. We then made our choices and eagerly waited for our next course. I chose the coconut and white chocolate mousse, brandy rhubarb compote with rhubarb sorbet, which, between the chocolate and rhubarb had a delicious blend of sweet and sharp flavours and was a very pleasant way to end my meal.

My wife opted for the basil and strawberry milk pudding, raspberry jelly and light sponge cake, which was sort of a deconstructed and intensified Victoria sandwich, which is her favourite. Again, the flavours matched together perfectly and made the ordering of a pot of tea seem like genius.

Once we finished, fully contented and over-awed with the three courses of incredible food we’d just eaten, we couldn’t go back to the room without one last trip to the bar. I stood and spoke for a while with Nick about the various whiskeys on offer. He suggested a gorgeous 32-year old single malt, but after fearing my palette wasn’t refined enough to truly appreciate its greatness, I decided on a 10-year old Laphroaig, which was served in a traditional crystal glass and was the perfect accessory for the cosy, lounge bar. Once I drained my glass, my wife and I retired to our comfortable room, ready to melt into our gigantic bed, with inviting fresh linen and managed to drift right off to sleep. One of the best nights’ sleep I’ve had in a very long time, thanks to the heavy blinds.

We got up and dressed, used the high-spec bathroom, which had a lovely big showerhead and delicious smelling body wash, etc. and eagerly made for the restaurant for our breakfast. We were not disappointed!

We started with a selection from the cooked breakfast menu, my partner went for the Full English Breakfast, which included tasty meat, eggs and fruit and veg from suppliers in Devizes, Trowbridge and Melksham, and I opted to have the griddled kippers with home-made herb butter, which was simply served with white toast, which really let the flavour of the fish shine through. Widbrook Grange also had the most tempting and fully-stocked cereal bar I’ve ever come across! The collection of mason jars, all labelled up with their hand-written, brown paper luggage tags was a treat for the eyes and was yet another example of the hand-finished attention to detail that made our stay fantastic. There were multiple cereals on offer, as well as countless dried fruits, nuts, yoghurt, honey and everything else you needed to make yourself a delicious bowl of cereal. My concoction was an Alpen base, with dried pear, dried peach and hazelnuts, with a drizzling of honey.

Once we finished our breakfast, there was just enough time to say goodbye to the friendly staff and take one more walk around the grounds. A fantastic end to a wonderful stay.

I can highly recommend Widbrook Grange – and have already! Whether you’re staying the night or just treating yourself to the best food for miles, you won’t be disappointed. From the service, to the landscape, to the attention to detail in each and every corner of each and every room, it was absolutely fantastic.