Vetiver, Chewton Glen Hotel and Spa, New
Milton, New Forest, BH25 6QS
12/07/2013
She said: This was his surprise ‘slap
up’ meal for his birthday. After a breathtaking bike ride through the New
Forest, then competing with trucks and buses on the A337 for way longer than
expected, we pedalled into this Relaix & Chateaux haven, changed into
respectable clothes in the ‘powder room’ and ordered some pre-dinner cocktails
from the lovely outdoor terrace overlooking the croquet lawn. The service was
slow – we had to find our own drinks menus from the bar and the drinks took
about 20 minutes to come but were worth the wait (I had the unconventional
post-dinner drink of Espresso Martini). We were then shown to our table in a
beautiful glasshouse dining room, with views overlooking the estate. Staff had
a birthday card ready on the table for him which was a nice touch. I have to
say, from beginning to almost the end, Vetiver was wonderful. I opted for the
great value £25 three course set menu, kicking off with a heavenly red pepper
and gorgonzola risotto perfectly sized for a starter; followed by a delicious
fish for main and then a raspberry and white chocolate cake for dessert. As an
additional surprise the waiter brought a second ‘birthday cake’ dessert for him
which I ‘helped’ with – a delicious chocolate mouse cake, complete with candle.
The only slight hitch was when we got the bill and a mysterious £32 had been
added in relation to mythical alcohol which took some time to correct but all
was well in the end making this a top, classy, lovely choice for the New Forest
(just ignore the man in his towelling robe wandering aimlessly up and down the
gardens outside).
He said: over the last two million years or so of human evolution a few
truism have gradually gained enough axiomatic power to be carved onto stone
tablets: for instance, the grass is always greener on the other side, or don’t
eat the yellow snow. But in this age of ‘instant everything’ nothing is truer than
that old favourite: it’s the journey not the destination. Such it was on this
blessed day of my birth 2013. I had no idea where we were going for lunch that
day, but getting there was spectacular, involving mountain-biking through miles
of stunning English countryside, and avoiding the occasional truck. Eventually
we got to Chewton Glen, a country pile turned hotel which, I believe,
specializes in rooms in tree-houses. Cool, but we weren’t there for rest or
midday hanky-panky, but to replenish the 2000+ calories evaporated on the ride
over. I kicked things off with a chilled pea soup, and followed with a
quinoa-stuffed tomato which may sound kind of 1972 and lumpy (like me) but was
actually delish and absolutely gorgeous on the plate. She and Me have argued
lately about whether or not to include photos on this blog. Obviously I’m
firmly against, since chances are nil that you will have the same as me, but
this really was something to look at: round tomato centred in a gleaming white
round plate with a drizzle of vibrant green olive oil, and a scatter of
top-of-the-stem basil leaves. Wow, very beautiful. Desert was a white chocolate
and raspberry tart; nice. It’s not often that I’m full after lunch in this kind
of place, which I was today. So, of course, what arrives next but my surprise
birthday chocolate mousse (cf. Sod’s Law), which was excellent but would’ve
been even nicer right after I got off my bike. I’m a big fan of country
restaurants which, in my experience, try hard to do things right, to motivate everyone
to get in their cars and drive miles and miles avoiding countless kamikaze
cyclists to get there. Chewton Glen didn’t disappoint me or, evidently, the
rest of the very full dining room.
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