FOOD REVIEW
Wellington wows
Lyndsey McGeary dines like a princess at the historic Wynyard Hall…
I
like to think I’m pretty cool. You know,
not the sort to get carried away with
excitement?
But I’ll let you into a secret – I have
this thing about gravelled driveways. That
unmistakeable sound of stones crunching
underneath the tyres as you pull up outside
the most elegant, historic country house
hotel awakens my inner princess.
So, when my husband suggested dinner
at the two AA rosette restaurant, The
Wellington, I didn’t need asking twice.
Situated inside the four-star Wynyard Hall
hotel, in 150 acres of historical landscape,
The Wellington really is the destination of
choice for romantic meals or casual dining.
It’s hard to believe a place so stunning is
located just on our doorstep, easily accessible
by taxi or by car. The gardens alone are
a leading visitor attraction – throw in an
exquisite dining room and I’m sold!
With three menus to choose from – à
la carte, all day dining (served from noon
until 9.30pm) and a three-course set menu
available at lunch and dinner for up to £35
per person – our only problem was deciding
just what to eat.
We took a seat in the magnificent library
with a gin and tonic and perused the menus,
very leisurely. I was very tempted by the
North Sea Battered Cod & Chips at £13.50
from the all-day menu, but there were so
many “wants” on the à la carte that I couldn’t
resist choosing from it.
We were shown to our table in the most
stunning dining room I have ever seen.
With its vast ceiling height and elegant
furnishings, it really felt luxurious.
We were then presented with a
complimentary amuse-bouche of artichoke
velouté, accompanied by beautiful bread
rolls and a variety of butters. The seaweed
butter was divine, especially combined with
the tiny thin shot glass of velouté. Losing all
pretensions of class at this point, I whispered
to my husband, “If I could fit my bread in the
glass, I’d dip it in!”
Crispy pig cheek was my choice of starter,
accompanied by Wynyard garden pumpkin
puree (at £7.50). My husband chose the
shellfish soup with langoustine, sea kale and
caviar (£13.50).
Wow-factor: a
selection of the
dishes served up at
The Wellington at
Wynyard Hall.
He definitely went for the “showboating”
option, as the bisque itself was poured over
the seafood at the table, making the dish
even more elegant. These delicious starters
were paired beautifully with a Mount
Holdsworth New Zealand sauvignon blanc
at £8.50 per 175ml glass.
The Elia contemporary cutlery used in the
restaurant was a thing of beauty in itself and
a joy to hold, although the crockery had an
unusual texture which made any scraping of
the bowl audible, and a big no-no!
For main course my husband chose
the steamed wild halibut with oxtail,
chanterelles, truffle and celeriac at £18.50.
This meaty fish did not disappoint.
For me, there was venison on the menu.
And when there’s venison, I cannot be
deterred from it. Served with confit onions,
blue cheese, pumpkin seeds and a date
purée, it was an exceptional winter dish.
This was easily washed down with a Chateau
Montaiguillon St Emilion French Bordeaux
at £8.30 for a 125ml glass.
The second complimentary amuse-bouche
of the evening was a small dessert in the
form of a blood orange choux bun with
cream. It was unusual and beautiful and gave
a little hint of the main dessert treats we were
in for next.
The dessert choice was relatively limited,
which helpfully simplified our decisions.
For me, the warm honey cake with honey
and pear ripple sounded like just the thing
to finish off a meaty meal. It was lovely and
sweet.
My husband selected the toffee apple
parfait with caramelised puff pastry and a
warm cinnamon doughnut. It had a custardy
ice cream which he could not get enough of.
He simply did not want it to end!
Declining any coffee or tea, we decided to
head out into the grounds for a walk while
waiting for our taxi to collect us. There was
so much beauty in those grounds, even after
dark.
But within a few short minutes our
carriage pulled up onto the gravelled
driveway to collect us, and I was giddy all
over again…
tees-life.co.uk
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