Barnsdale Lodge - Rutland

Barnsdale Lodge Hotel
The Avenue
Exton
Oakham
Rutland
LE15 8AH
 
tel: 01572 724678
 
 www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk

The rural haven of Rutland lies quietly nestled in the heart of hidden England. Perhaps known foremost as "England's smallest county", it's 16 miles square brim with rich history, unspoilt villages and market town shopping, with year-round sport, leisure and wildlife attractions spilling over at one of the county's many jewels, Rutland Water.  Quirky to boot, with remarkable offerings such as the other-worldliness of Yew Tree Avenue, a mile of exquisitely manicured and clipped Yew creations of uniquely English eccentricity, it is hard not to succumb to the enchantment that emanates from this pint-sized county.

In this setting, positioned conveniently across from the northern shores of Rutland Water is Barnsdale Lodge (www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk). This laid back hotel and restaurant, around an hour and half by car from London and also easily accessible by train by taking the express from Kings Cross to Peterborough (appending a short sprint in a taxi at the other end), offers a perfect retreat for city-types to escape, relax and go in search of a bit of adventure.

The lodge is a stone built former farmhouse that has been in the proprietor's, Thomas Noel's, family since the 18th Century and formerly adjoined Exton Park, seat of the Earls of Gainsborough. Despite operating as a hotel since the 1980s - and housing all that a hotel is nowadays expected to offer with conference facilities, a banqueting hall for wedding receptions, alongside a homely conservatory, garden and landscaped courtyard for Summer dining - the hotel resiliently retains a connection with its agricultural past.

This is in no small part due to the arrival at Barnsdale, five years ago, of the irrepressible Ed Burrows the hotel's Managing Director.
Under his watchful eye the hotel has undergone a careful series of transformations, peeling back some of the new-fangled installations that had snuck into the hotel prior to his arrival, and nurturing back the warmth of the farmhouse hearth.

We arrived to a warm welcome from Ed (a friendly reception that would repeat time and again during our stay at the hotel and when exploring the surrounding area) and were instantly invited to a tour of the grounds. He led the way enthusing about the newly installed kitchen's garden, showing off his 'Barnsdale' chickens whose eggs he insisted made the Barnsdale Eggs Benedict exceptional, and pointing out the woodland walk that has been created for children to safely explore the grounds whilst their parents are able to relax with a drink on the lawn.

Tour over, we settled into our room, one of forty-four at the hotel. Thoughtfully presented and adorned with the elegance and lightness of touch of regency style whilst giving sweeping views across farmland pastures, complete with oaks, grazing sheep and spotted by the odd hotel chicken coop, it was just the ticket.

But we did not linger. Caught up in Ed's enthusiasm for the local area, we could not help but set out to explore. We quickly packed in a walk around Rutland Water, taking in from the reservoir's shoreline the sailing, canoeing, windsurfing and fishing on offer.  A haunting visit to The Rutland Falconry and Owl Centre rewarded with beak-to-face meetings with an amazing variety of falcons, buzzards, hawks, eagles and owls all housed along eerie forrested paths. After a quick stop off at local Hambleton bakery, whose deliciously nutty homemade breads we would enjoy at Barnsdale that evening, we then visited some of the boutique shops of Oakham and Uppingham before retreating to the cosy bar at Barnsdale. 

Joined by Ed for a gin and tonic he was keen to talk of ambitious plans to refurbish each of the rooms over the next year by installing sleek new bathrooms. He also stressed that the hotel is now dog-friendly and fortunate pooches lucky enough to be taken along will be pampered by being provided with their own 'designer' dog bed in their owner's room. He went on to explain the programme of corporate retreats running at Barnsdale and bubbled over whilst explaining how perfect the hotel was for weddings and other special occasions.

My initial concern was that this emphasis on 'group' business might detract from the experience of the everyman who might come to Rutland to relax and be apart from it all. Sensing my concern he explained that a central value at Barnsdale was to make every guest feel warmly welcome.  He asks that each guest is treated with polite informality, as he puts it, like a 'friend of a friend'. All this was certainly borne out from our experience - by the time we settled down for dinner in the conservatory, we had completely relaxed.

The country air, the roaring fires, the long walks, all this we had expected and Barnsdale (and Rutland) had delivered. What we had not expected was the quality of the food. Each dish that arrived was presented with care and composed of quality, fresh ingredients. There was none of the stuffy pretence, nor undue expense of counterparts.  Bread was from the local bakery, eggs from the hotel chickens and vegetables fresh from the plot.  The scallops with black pudding, game terrine, steak with mushroom mash and rabbit coq au vin were all delicious.  Puddings were also a delight with the inventive grapefruit posset (tastes far better than name suggests) against the stalwart lemon meringue.  Washed down with a bottle of fleurie from the varied wine list, the whole experience was a triumph.

So, all in all, a great hotel in a great spot that I would unhesitatingly recommend whatever the occasion.  For a detailed breakdown of prices and more information of what Barnsdale Lodge has to offer visit the hotel website.

Charlie Clayton-Payne, City lawyer