Curated continuity at The George of Stamford ensures it\u2019s a consistent pleasure to visit Stamford\u2019s oldest restaurant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffIt never gets old, despite its age. Walking through the doors of The George of Stamford always feels fresh, grand and special, which is surprising, given that we\u2019ve visited often and given the fact that the place has offered sustenance to visitors since at least 947AD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s Grade II* listed, arranged over three storeys, with 45 bedrooms, and its oak-panelled dining room, its York Room and London Room (former rest areas for those heading north or south along the Great North Road respectively), in what was the medieval dining hall. Still a love letter to hospitality, with its beeswax and beams, the lovely musky smell of mature open fires and neat piles of The Times newspaper for guests to read, even though they probably get all of their news online these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The George is genuinely venerable, yet still offers comfort and assiduous service that\u2019s up there with the best in modern British hospitality. The feeling is, I think, one of curated continuity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hotel lost an absolute gentleman in 2023 when Lawrence Hoskins \u2013 the hotel\u2019s owner for over 50 years \u2013 passed away. His legacy endures with his wife Andrea still keenly involved in the business day-to-day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working to maintain a unique experience is General Manager Kay Musgrove leading a team of around 170, including Head Chef Jamie Mason and Service Manager Florian Hertling. Lawrence\u2019s favourite (and very British) stoicism was always \u2018onwards and upwards.\u2019 It was a phrase he used often and the team have all taken the expression to heart in his memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accordingly, there continues to be no shortage of investment in the building, its upkeep and its rooms, from the newly-refurbished \u2018gallows\u2019 sign over St Martins at the front of the building, to updated bedrooms and the neat monastery gardens to the rear. Even the journey from car park to courtyard is something very lovely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way we meet Sooty the hotel cat who patrols the monastery gardens, keeping an eye on the birds and squirrels, presumably hoping her gracious service might see a member of the kitchen team taking pity on her and bunging her any leftovers \u2013 a bit of lobster or some Severn & Wye smoked salmon perhaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alas, no such quid pro quo is forthcoming, because dining at The George is so delicious there are rarely any leftovers; plates are cleared by diners, hence the reason Sooty is as slender as she is, instead of looking like a feline Daniel Lambert \u2013 a portrait of the latter, incidentally, hangs in reception with its flagstones, carved cornice frescoes and grand staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the hotel\u2019s south wing there\u2019s a lounge, with its grand open fireplace and steps up to The Champagne Bar and to The Garden Room, with its salads, pasta, fish, shellfish and meat dishes. The choice is extensive and it\u2019s the larger of the two restaurants with around 100 covers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The menu comprises elevated versions of down to earth favourites \u2013 chargrilled steaks, an aged-sirloin burger, battered haddock and chips \u2013 as well as more upmarket dishes from a Grand Brittany Platter of shellfish to lobster in a Thermidor sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the north wing of the hotel, meanwhile, there\u2019s the York Bar where locals meet for a pint of Adnams and a robust discussion about the rugby, or a G&T and a brief interlude from supporting some of Stamford\u2019s finest independent retailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pre-eminent experience of The George is dining in The Oak Room with its stone mullion windows, wood panelling and gentle trundles of its trolleys going past tables: the silver-domed beef trolley from which sirloin is carved, plus the dessert trolley, another one heaving with cheese and one for liqueurs. There\u2019s also a dedicated trolley which arrives at your table to flamb\u00e9e Cr\u00eapes Suzette, for those seeking a theatrical finale to dining in the restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Oak Room menu changes seasonally, although favourites endure, their status hallowed. Taking the Roast Sirloin or Dover Sole off the menu would cause a riot (albeit a very British riot: someone might tut or murmur under their breath \u2013 but Britishly, not loud enough for anyone to hear, or anything). Other highlights include Honey-Glazed Breast of Duck, Beef Wellington, Lobster and Rack of Lamb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No fewer than 25 people in the kitchen work to ensure that across both The Garden Room and The Oak Room restaurants, dishes reflect modern British dining underpinned with classical French techniques and absolutely the best ingredients, with no gimmicks. Everything from cakes to canap\u00e9s to ice creams, sorbets and petits fours is crafted in-house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s the wine list. The \u2018short\u2019 version comprises 27 well-considered bins from British fizz and Taittinger Champagne to premier cru Chablis, a nice-sounding Fleurie from Beaujolais and a few dessert wines. The \u2018long\u2019 wine list runs to 26 pages!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Private dining is available in The London Room, The King Charles Room on the first floor, and The Lambert Room. If you\u2019re planning to entertain over the festive season, or if you\u2019re seeking to catch up with friends, it would be hard to surpass commandeering an entire space in The George for your exclusive use in which to make merry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another welcome addition to The George is The Oak Room\u2019s Prix Fixe menu, offering some of the dining room\u2019s most enduring favourites for \u00a342\/two courses, \u00a360\/three courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a refreshed version of the hotel\u2019s previous walk-in-lunch offer and relative to the effort that goes into each dish and the setting in which you\u2019re dining, it\u2019s an absolute steal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also a chance to reacquaint yourself with three or four of the hotel\u2019s favourite dishes per course, such as a starter of Twice-Baked Vintage Poacher Souffl\u00e9 followed by Sirloin of Beef. Such dishes are timeless and satisfying, as is The George itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hotel\u2019s curated continuity is a source of great comfort in a world otherwise replete with trends and gimmicks. At the heart of the hotel is the personable but professional warmth of a really good independently-owned hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its sense of tradition is authentic, the welcome is genuine, its dining is exceptional. And for these reasons, The George of Stamford remains the absolute heart and soul of the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The George of Stamford Curated continuity at The George of Stamford ensures it\u2019s a consistent pleasure to visit Stamford\u2019s oldest restaurant \ufeffIt never gets…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[466,23,82,137,83,197,26,25,27,28],"class_list":["post-1643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-drink","tag-coaching-inn","tag-dining","tag-fine-dining","tag-history","tag-hotel","tag-lincolnshire","tag-pub","tag-restaurant","tag-rutland","tag-stamford"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1645,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1643\/revisions\/1645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The Pitch:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIconic Hotel, fondly known locally as The Grande Dame of Stamford, with two dining rooms, The Oak Room Restaurant offering fine dining in an absolutely superb\u00a0setting and the busy, informal and fun Garden Room Restaurant.\u201d
Opening Hours:\u00a0<\/strong>Open seven days, for dining times across each restaurant, and the Prix Fixe menu within The Oak Room Restaurant, see website.
The George of Stamford, St Martins, Stamford PE9 2LB.
Call 01780 750750 or see www.georgehotelofstamford.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"