Mallory Court, a country estate near Leamington Spa, is the perfect weekend retreat, says Harry Owen
THE WEEKEND: Founded by IT entrepreneur Sir Peter Rigby, Mallory Court is part of the Eden Hotel Collection, which also boasts Dartmoor’s five-star Bovey Castle. What was once a Manor house set deep in the Warwickshire countryside, Mallory Court now finds itself on the edges of an ever-expanding Leamington Spa. However, once through the gates, the 10 acres of gardens and Manor house terrace overlook miles-and-miles of rolling fields. From London either driving or by train, it’s 1 hour 30 minutes and once inside, it’s a genuine retreat from the outside world.
THE STAY: A mixture of 42 bedrooms spread across three sites, including the Orchard House, the Knights Suite and the main Grade II-listed Manor House, built in 1916. We stayed in the recently renovated, in-character extension overlooking the gardens where the suites range from £400 upwards and include spa access.
Three gardeners maintain the grounds, working closely with executive head chef, Keiron Stevens to offer up a seasonal, sustainable and local menu, including plenty grown within the gardens. Self confessed ‘green champion’ and Duty Manager, Olly Mackenzie gave us a tour which included a herb garden, croquet lawn and wildflower garden for the bees.
THE FOOD: The main house has a drawing room for afternoon tea (£35pp with pre-booking required), the spa has an Asian offering called Sencha, that doubles up as room service. Finally the main dining room has a tasting menu from £105pp with an optional £105 pp wine flight. The ‘Taste of the Season’ menu was excellent value at this price, with a lavish 9-courses.
The Mallory Court Spa
DON’T MISS: The 5-bubble rated Spa built in 2016, which is available to guests and 100 local members. There is a gym, swimming pool, two sauna steam rooms and a hydrotherapy pool – as well as treatments available everyday.
ASK ABOUT: The wine list; as supplied by Berkmann Wine Cellars with Gusbourne doing the honours on sparkling wine. Mallory Court’s French restaurant manager Bruno Asselin knows his stuff and the curated list has some excellent, reasonably priced wines from across France starting at £38 a bottle.
WHAT ELSE? The Georgian stately home of Compton Verney is a 20 minute drive away, featuring a fantastic art collection, but you’d be hard pressed to find a reason to leave Mallory Court. Everything you want for a weekend escape is here: modern spa, beautiful bedrooms and grounds, indulgent food and drink. We ended the weekend sipping Cotswold Gin, with fresh mint plucked from the garden, on a stunning terrace in balmy July sunshine – total relaxation.
TOP TIP: Mallory Court also offers Conference facilities away from the Manor House (Knight Suite) and caters for weddings. The house and gardens had recently hosted a Bridgerton themed garden party, which comes as no surprise given the regency setting of this hideaway hotel.
• For more information or to book, visit the website here