Our Inspector's View

With a pedigree somewhat more ancient than the average country house, Boringdon is dripping with historical flavour. The place was gifted by Henry VIII as a deconsecrated priory to one of his favoured courtiers, the Earl of Southampton, who in turn sold it on to the Grey family that produced England's nine-day queen. The Tudor manor is beautifully preserved and makes a sumptuous country house hotel these days, run with engaging charm and due formality, and replete with the full-works package of spa, wedding and conference facilities, not to mention some seriously accomplished, bang up-to-date cooking. Its dining room occupies a gallery overlooking the Great Hall with its moulded plaster coat of arms, where Scott Paton is fully up to the task of matching the grand surroundings with his artfully crafted cooking. Bringing seasonal ingredients into sharp focus with ingenuity and flair, a slew of menus covers all bases, from a keenly-priced two- or three-course lunch deal, through to a dinner carte, and five- and seven-course tasters, plus veggie and vegan versions to keep a finger on the modern dining pulse, with ideas such as fermented mushroom pâté with lapsang souchong jelly, or roasted celeriac with celery tart and truffle showing admirable versatility. Opting for the middle ground of the five-course performance, lightly aerated Vulscombe goats’ cheese with beetroot in various preparations, elderflower and gingerbread gets things off to a flying start, followed by a scallop taco that brings explosions of distinct flavours from coriander, chilli and parmesan crisp. Asian notes come into play once more in a dish deploying curried emulsion, mango, cardamom and lime in support of excellent Brixham crab. Next up, sea-fresh lemon sole turns up in a thoughtfully composed idea with fennel, leek and nori. It all finishes on a climactic note with intense raspberry mousse, jelly and sorbet with pistachio cream.

Awards, Accolades & welcome Schemes

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence