Our Inspector's View

Owners Laurence and Helen Beere have transformed their magnificent Georgian townhouse – built for the 8th Marquess of Queensbury in 1771, incidentally – into a top-ranking boutique hotel, driven by a passion for hospitality and a keen eye for interior aesthetics. Down in the basement rooms, but none the worse for that, The Olive Tree restaurant bathes in a light, minimalist look that’s a fitting stage for Chris Cleghorn’s dynamic contemporary cooking. After honing his craft in some top-flight kitchens (stints chez James Sommerin, Michael Caines and Heston Blumenthal to name but three), his eclectic approach and sharp technical skills are showcased here via five- and seven-course seasonal tasting menus, including vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free variations, and an admirably flexible approach allows you to cherry-pick a starter, main course and dessert if you’re not up for the full-on tasting experience. Whichever route you take, the modern British dishes are all built on the finest West Country produce delivered in intuitive flavour combinations. Finely tuned starters might see raw scallops pointed up with horseradish, pink grapefruit and dill, or tagliatelle fragrant with Périgord truffle, 36-month-aged parmesan and lardo. The meat department comes up with ideas such as fallow deer matched with barbecued cauliflower, golden raisins, sprouts and bitter chocolate, while other creations could be robustly treated fish, perhaps brill poached on the bone with turnip, hispi cabbage, shrimp and salted lemon. If you’re giving meat a swerve, intelligently composed dishes such as beetroot with Perl Las blue cheese, pecan and salted lemon, or macaroni with asparagus, cheddar, hen of the woods mushrooms and hazelnuts are a lesson in texture and well-matched flavours. Scintillating desserts bring a final flourish of tastes and textures – dark chocolate mousse, say, with yogurt sorbet and olive, or garriguette strawberry with mascarpone, yuzu and vanilla meringue. The wine list offers an eclectic international selection that bears the owners’ hands-on stamp.

Awards, Accolades & welcome Schemes

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence