Fresh awards and the prospect of Aaron Patterson\u2019s spring menus ensure there is a sufficient justification for a return visit to one of Britain\u2019s best country house hotels<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffThere are many compelling reasons to visit Hambleton Hall, but if you needed any additional inducement, we\u2019re happy to oblige. Each year the country house hotel participates in Rutland\u2019s Lunch for Even Less promotion, offering great value dining, this year from Monday 13th January to Friday 28th February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can enjoy two courses for \u00a348.50 from Monday to Friday and a reminder of why the hotel enjoys a reputation for comfort, consistency and cuisine that other hotels and restaurants across Britain can only dream of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday 10th February at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Michelin will reveal the restaurants and hotel awarded the organisation\u2019s stars and special awards for 2025. We\u2019ve no reason to believe that Hambleton Hall\u2019s status as a starred restaurant won\u2019t be reaffirmed as the place has retained its star consecutively for a longer period than any other restaurant or hotel in Britain, having first gained the accolade in 1982, retaining it ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not to say, however, that there\u2019s any sense of complacency among the Hambleton Hall team, including Chef Director Aaron Patterson, General Manager Chris Hurst, Restaurant Manager Graeme Matheson and Sommelier Dominique Baduel. Together, the team works as hard as ever to earn every compliment, every time, and to ensure that their diners and guests enjoy not only lovely dining and comfortable accommodation but also an experience that\u2019s warm and relaxing, never too formal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a country house hotel whose success is founded not on its reputation but on a genuine desire to ensure its guests enjoy every single dish, every single sip and every single good night of sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of which, as well as a first class dining room, Hambleton Hall was recognised in October with a two-key rating in the Michelin Guide\u2019s new rating scheme for hotel accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judges considered each hotel\u2019s architecture and interior design; the quality and consistency of the service on offer; overall personality and character of the venue; value for the price and whether the team are deemed to have made a significant contribution to the overall guest experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, Hambleton Hall was given the C\u00e9sar Award for Best Hotel in the East Midlands and named Country House Hotel\u2019s Editor\u2019s Choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s in addition to a long-standing affiliation with Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux, a group of 850 luxury hotels worldwide, and membership of Pride of Britain, a collection of Britain\u2019s 50 finest city, countryside and coastal hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accolades pertaining to Hambleton Hall\u2019s dining include four AA rosettes and commendations in The Good Food Guide and Hardens, as well as regular recognition in Rutland Pride\u2019s own Good Food Awards as Restaurant of the Year and Best Restaurant with Rooms, most recently for our 2024 awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set in 17 acres of beautiful grounds (Tim has a special interest in gardening) and with classically-styled interiors (Stefa is a talented interior designer), the hotel\u2019s appearance is commensurate with the welcome it offers and the standard of its accommodation and dining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aaron leads a team of 16 chefs who recognise that as well as creative flair, technical chefcraft and consistency are the bedrock of a kitchen\u2019s reputation. Having joined Hambleton Hall in its early days and returning after a stint working with Raymond Blanc at La Manoir aux Quat\u2019Saisons, Aaron has since trained countless proteges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those chefs have benefitted not only from Aaron\u2019s patience and willingness to teach the next generation of chefs, but also from their boss\u2019s insistence on the best ingredients, including those from Hambleton Hall\u2019s own kitchen garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a couple of minutes down the road, too, is Julian Carter of Hambleton Bakery. Julian\u2019s successful career started in the family Bakery in Liverpool, he then joined the RAF as a chef and later cooked for three years for John Major, when he was Prime Minister in Downing Street and at Chequers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He joined the brigade at Hambleton Hall, cooking Michelin starred meals and quickly became second chef, where he remained for nine years, before establishing Hambleton Bakery with Tim in 2008. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dining at Hambleton Hall is by way of a lunchtime menu \u2013 including this season\u2019s Lunch for Even Less promotion \u2013 or a dinner menu offering three courses for \u00a3125\/person. Sunday dining is also available, and there\u2019s a vast cellar of wine \u2013 somewhere in the region of 400 bins \u2013 with recommended pairings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also recommend that you keep an eye on Hambleton Hall\u2019s calendar of events. An annual programme of highlights include wine-themed lunches and dinners with tasting events, foraging events and even collaborations with PalmerSport for motor racing events and Nevill Holt for events combining dinner with performances by up-and-coming stars of the Leicestershire estate\u2019s opera festival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special guests are a regular feature of Hambleton Hall\u2019s calendar too from garden designer and broadcaster Bunny Guinness to Alicia Kearns MP,\u2008who delivers an after-dinner talk as Pride goes to press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With much to enjoy and a warm welcome too, revisiting Hambleton Hall is a must in 2025 to remind yourself just how wonderful the place remains, 45 years on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n