Visit this stunning, Iconic Luxury Hotel at any time of year for a breath-taking dining experience.
If you happen to choose the summer months, then this is a taste of what you can look forward to!
The Dining Room is clipped and slick, with dashes of white and bright green to join the gardens through bright sash windows, today we literally take the dining room outside onto the terrace overlooking the rolling gardens, swimming pool, and wooded brook as the sun is at its summer peak.
Underneath pristine parasols, we sit with a glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine and reflect upon how lucky we are to be able to experience such top-end hospitality. Something that Nyetimber is also reflecting upon, as we hear from our sommelier that the famous West Sussex vineyard has been welcomed back into the hotel’s wine cellar after a short break and now enjoys a very close relationship with – well frankly us, as we order another bottle! All the staff are highly informative, be that origin of ingredients, wines or details of the hotel’s history.
Around us are other guests dining with family, enjoying a joke with colleagues, and being mesmerised by the beautiful surroundings – then the focus turns to our Weekend Luncheon (served on both Saturday and Sunday) as amuse bouche of Greek spiced meatballs and pumpernickel bread with salmon and caviar arrive at our perfectly dressed table. How long can one make an hors d’œuvre last? We do a good job of savouring every morsel!
We start in earnest with dressed Devon crab and Chesil Smokery oak-smoked salmon, both presented with delicate flair and shared with each other as the plate envy was too much to bear! It doesn’t matter what you decide upon – every dish looks just as tantalizing, accompanied by a glass of Millet-Roger Sancerre.
My main of wild sea bass with Isle of Wight asparagus, Jersey Royals, caviar with a Champagne velouté with a glass of Laroze de Drouhin Chardonnay is once again one of the best dishes on the Enjoy-It tour – and I argue the point with my guest who claims his loin of rosé veal is the best dish – everyone is a winner!
We round off the perfect summer’s afternoon with Chewton Glen honeycomb parfait and a glass or two of Lions de Suduiraut Sauternes 2015, and congratulate chef, head gardener, (much of the garnish comes from the quintessentially English kitchen garden at the hotel – well worth a visit while you are here), and the whole team, every one of whom is charming, polite, interesting and interested in each and every one of their guests.
The Nyetimber and canapés are included in the modest two or three-course price point – (and we thought it was just us that were special)! On that very matter, everyone is special at Chewton Glen – just one visit will prove that!