You may not eat in the same room that Henry VIII did, but you will have a royal good time
There’s a bit of a cliche around the royal meals of Olde Englande. Kings chucking well-chewed chicken legs over their shoulder, at least twenty meats on the table and the fish could include conger eel and even porpoise.
These days castle meals are finer dining and the restaurant at Thornbury Castle is a restrained and elegant affair with Executive Head Chef, David Williams who recently retained the hotel’s 3 AA Rosettes with his tasting as well as his a la carte and set menus, serving up a three course menu of three dish choices for each course at £75 per person.
The setting could not be more fabulous, the beautiful castle was once the property of Edward Stafford, who built it in the 1500s but who lost it to a jealous Henry VIII. The King then stayed there on occasions with Ann Boleyn who got the chop, and not the lamb and mint sauce kind, months after her last visit.
Courtyards, stone stairs, gorgeous lounges and grand bedrooms abound in the hotel and the dining room is a cosy circular ground floor room with a massive fireplace. A place for a posh meal and suitably decked out with the sort of heavy white linen now sadly absent from many high end restaurants, presumably because of the cost of cleaning.
After drinks in the pretty Privy Garden, we found our way to the dining room and had no problems choosing from the compact set menu.
We rather like our amuse of frothy avocado and then soon settle down to some Pate En Croute with Rare Bread (sic) Pork and the hotel’s own Piccalilli. A large walled vegetable garden in the grounds provides much of the fresh produce required by the kitchen with preserves keeping things going into the winter months.
Pate en croute is French for Game Pie (not really as there’s no hard boiled egg, but there is a family resemblance) and this has lovely pastry, very much a leading component, along with a thin layer of jelly and well-seasoned pork interior. The crisp pickle is a good foil to the meat and jelly, while the minimalism on the plate is attractive, although the lack of bulk would have had Henry VIII calling for the chef’s immediate execution. Today it’s a perfect portion.
Burrata with heritage tomatoes, with balsamic vinegar and olives, always relies on excellent burrata and tomatoes with flavour and this dish scores highly. The pouch of cheese cuts open to let the creamy interior flood out and mingle with the sweetly sharp vinegar. The tomatoes are well ripened, slightly acidic as they should be and very colourful too.
As a nod to Henry, I waive my usual rule of ‘no steak’ and have a big hunk of perfectly cooked fillet of beef accompanied by an elegant rosti, some bright carrot and tousled spinach. Across the table a rather complicated mix of hake, salt cod, clams, mussels and shrimp actually delivers simple pleasures, each element a star on its one and the combination a real winner.
Mango cremeux with Thai basil and coconut ice cream is beautiful to look at and eat, while vanilla and strawberry cheesecake is stylish and refreshing.
Staff throughout have been conscientious without being cloying, there when needed and away when not. Over attentive waiting breaks conversations up annoyingly.
So many gorgeous hotels fail to deliver on the food front, but not Thornbury Castle. The modern food is a contrast to the ancient stones and the price is reasonable for all you get by way of atmosphere and service.
Thornbury Castle
Castle St, Thornbury
Gloucestershire, BS35 1HH
+44 (0) 1454 281 182
[email protected]
For more information and reservations please see the website.