There’s a really warm, homely feeling when you step through the doors of Washingborough Hall, and that’s no surprise. When owners Lucy and Edward Herring found the venue three years ago, they were looking for somewhere cosy, somewhere unique, somewhere with character.

The couple had owned village pubs and worked in high end catering in their previous vocations, but Washingborough wasn’t simply a new restaurant.

“We’d just had our third child and we were looking for somewhere that could be a lovely family home, as well as a place to work.” says Lucy.

The couple’s search came to an end when they found the 12 bedroom, 300 year old Grade II listed hotel, and instantly they saw the potential to create not just a restaurant of repute, but a venue with charm and beauty too, one in which patrons would find not just catering, but a truly warm welcome.

Under its previous incumbent, the restaurant had become needlessly fussy and the venue itself looked tired. During a six month restoration the venue remained open, and after an investment of over a quarter of a million pounds, the hotel was transformed.

Coming from a farming background near her family home a few miles from Woodhall Spa, Lucy certainly appreciates high quality food.

Her role as a cordon bleu educated chef gave Washingborough’s new owner an excellent opportunity to reposition the venue’s provision of food to offer traditional, high quality restaurant dining.

This Lucy achieved with the assistance of head chef Dan Wallis and his five strong brigade. The team works brilliantly together and produces consistently high quality food via two brand new menus.

A?bar or relaxed dining menu provides five starters and main courses with the former around £5 and the latter from £9-£17. Sandwiches and desserts are also available upon request.

The restaurant’s à la carte menu, meanwhile, changes every six to eight weeks and includes six starters, main courses and desserts.

À la carte dishes aim to blend traditional favourites with high quality local ingredients. Whilst quality remains paramount the dishes do, however, aim to be as simple as possible, according to Dan; “Good cooking is about having the confidence to subtract rather than add ingredients, it’s about bringing out the essence of the main ingredient itself, its elements are as indispensable to the alchemy of good food as the most essential ingredient; passion.”

During our visit, we enjoyed Rump of Lamb with Truffled Potato Gnocchi and Squash Purée, with alternatives in the form of Fillet of Beef served with Dauphinoise Potatoes, Wilted Spinach & Bearnaise  Sauce, and Pork Tenderloin with Pistachio Crust, Coriander, Ginger & Blackcurrent Jus.

A fish option and vegetarian choice is always available, as are hand-cut chips, seasonal, locally grown vegetables or salad. Our dessert was a sticky toffee pudding with glossy, golden sauce and a blob of home made ice cream. Over 30 wines are also available to accompany and there is a dedicated dessert wine menu. After a meal, diners enjoy freshly brewed coffee with home made fudge and petit fours.

A separate Sunday lunch menu offers diners the ability to enjoy two or three courses from £16.50, with a choice of four starters, main courses and desserts.

Suppliers to the hotel include Abbey Park for vegetables, Fosters and Owen Taylor, who provide the venue with its meat, Enderby of Grimsby who provide smoked fish and Boston Sausage which supplies Lincolnshire sausages for residents’ breakfasts.

“One of the best things about Washingborough Hall, we felt, was the fact that it reflects the best that Lincolnshire has to offer visitors.” says Lucy. “It’s very close to Lincoln, so we attract tourists who are consistently impressed to find a warm, vibrant and friendly city with lots to do and see.”

“But the dining room allows us to show off our local produce, local talent and that for which Lincolnshire is justly famous. The fact that we’ve recently been voted the UK’s best food county speaks volumes.”

With its approach to food and proximity to Lincoln, it’s little wonder that the venue has become popular for business lunches and conferences.

A second conference room, Ingleby, has just been refurbished and is ideal for small conferences and team-building exercises. The venue also has a civil wedding license and it’s anticipated that 60 couples will celebrate their special day at the hotel in 2012. On 23rd October, Washingborough Hall is hosting a Wedding Open Day with food & wine tasting and the opportunity to meet hand-picked wedding suppliers.

Looking a little further ahead, Washingborough Hall has also revealed its Christmas Day lunch menu, with four courses, canapés, and coffee with petit fours.

New Year’s Eve, meanwhile, sees a coup in the form of jazz singer Nicola Emmanuelle, who usually appears at London’s Savoy, making a special appearance at Washingborough Hall for one night only to perform her unique jazz repertoire.

Before that, though, Lucy and Ed will celebrate their wedding anniversary and shortly after, their third anniversary as Washingborough’s owners.

“It really has been a good year.” says Lucy. “We purchased the venue and began the refurbishment just as the recession was beginning.”

“To gain the reputation we have in such a short space of time, and in difficult trading conditions has been an achievement. We’re proud of our food, of the service we provide and of the way the hotel looks.”

“But what we’re most proud of is the way our guests feel welcome and enjoy being with us. We always intended to create a warm, homely place, and happily, we’re succeeding!”