{"id":668,"date":"2021-04-09T10:31:39","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T10:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland\/?p=668"},"modified":"2021-04-09T10:31:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T10:31:39","slug":"celebrating-a-return-to-hambleton-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/food-and-drink\/celebrating-a-return-to-hambleton-hall\/04-2021","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating a return to Hambleton Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Here comes the sun,\u2019 declared George Harrison. \u2018It\u2019s been a long cold lonely winter.\u2019 Happily though, it looks like summer is here, lockdown is being eased and Covid is on its way to being defeated. And where better to celebrate? Hambleton Hall! It seems like years since we\u2019ve been here, and how wonderful to be able to return!<\/h3>\n
\"Terrine
Terrine of root vegetables with autumn truffle, Jerusalem artichoke ice-cream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a big year for Aaron Patterson and for his brigade over at Hambleton Hall. \u201cIt\u2019s my 30th anniversary at the hotel,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd of course, there\u2019s the reopening to look forward to. It\u2019s been a long time coming. The whole brigade is thrilled.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a disruptive year for the hospitality industry, finally we received the news that we were all looking forward to; the Prime Minister\u2019s plans for the gradual relaxation of lockdown.\u00a0And shortly after, we received the press release which announced Hambleton Hall would be opening from 12th April until 15th May for an al fresco dining experience offered exclusively during lunchtime service.<\/p>\n

When the opportunity to book a table emerged, it took just a weekend for the overwhelming majority of covers throughout the month to be filled.<\/p>\n

As Pride goes to press there are a few reservations still to be claimed but you might need to compromise slightly on time or dates. Happily, across the UK, from 17th May, something approximating normal service will resume throughout the hospitality industry, with restaurants once again able to open for indoor service.<\/p>\n

On that date Hambleton Hall will again welcome diners back during both lunchtime and evening service in the hotel\u2019s 50-cover dining room. And there\u2019s yet more good news, too!<\/p>\n

\u201cJust before the first lockdown we invested in a brand-new kitchen for the hotel. It\u2019s state-of-the-art, with induction cooking ranges, air conditioning and a fresh layout. It\u2019ll make it easier and create a more comfortable environment for our brigade of 18 chefs whilst working, and it\u2019ll help us to both maintain our standards and retain our focus when creating an exceptional experience for our diners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aaron has also invested in a new kitchen at home; somewhere to play, he says. \u201cCooking at home is different, but it\u2019s still a pleasure,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m 52 years old this year and right from the age of 16, I\u2019ve been working long shifts in a commercial kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never had so much time on my hands, and whilst the first lockdown was warm and sunny, this time it has been a bit cold and murky, so I\u2019ve more or less lived in the kitchen and have had so much time to experiment and create new dishes. When I\u2019ve not been in the kitchen, I\u2019ve had my head stuck in a cookery book!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe I\u2019ve more than 40 new dishes which are worthy of our menus, although because we\u2019re a restaurant with a strong belief in seasonality, some will be filtered in throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In between his experiments, techniques and menu developments, Aaron has also kept in touch with his 18-strong brigade and is happy to report that they\u2019re looking forward to getting back to work, initially on the slightly simpler al fresco lunchtime menu with its four choices over three courses then, later in May, back working at full capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lovely time to return to the kitchen too,\u201d says Aaron, \u201cAs there are plenty of ingredients to make the most of, from wild garlic and morels to and gariguettes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring lockdown I\u2019ve taken my exercise by working in the kitchen garden and it has been heaving with really lovely fresh produce that we can use in our dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Aaron \u2013 also a partner in the business \u2013 approaches the 30th anniversary of his arrival at Hambleton Hall, the country house hotel celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, albeit in a much more pared back fashion than it was anticipating.<\/p>\n

Founded by Tim & Stefa Hart in 1980, the 19th century former hunting lodge with its 17 bedrooms has a long-serving team from Aaron to Sommelier Dominique Baduel to Restaurant Director Graeme Matherson and its General Manager Chris Hurst.<\/p>\n

Together, the team moves heaven and earth to make diners feel welcome and to provide an unequalled experience, very comfortably justifying the retention of its Michelin star and 4 AA rosettes year after year.<\/p>\n

Any sense that dining at Hambleton Hall carries a premium is balanced out by the obvious time, effort and talent invested in each dish, and by an immaculate setting. Tim takes a keen interest in curating the gardens and interior designer Stefa creates beautiful interiors throughout the hotel.<\/p>\n

The whole team are not only assiduous in their attention to detail but absolutely lovely \u2013 warm and welcoming \u2013 too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder, then, that Aaron and the rest of the team are keen to return to the kitchen and resume efforts to provide a great experience for their audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be rather manic I think, as everyone clamours to see friends again and we rush to revisit our favourite restaurants,\u201d says Aaron. \u201cBut what a summer it\u2019s going to be! We\u2019re really looking forward to welcoming diners back \u2013 for al fresco dining at first but then indoors from late May \u2013 and we\u2019ve some stunning new dishes that will ensure we fulfil every single expectation!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hambleton Hall is situated on Ketton Road, Oakham LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Opening Hours (food service):<\/strong><\/p>\n

12th April to 15th May: Al fresco lunch, book online.<\/p>\n

From 17th May, Seven Days: Lunchtime Service: 12noon – 2.30pm. Evening Service: 7pm – 9pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Here comes the sun,\u2019 declared George Harrison. \u2018It\u2019s been a long cold lonely winter.\u2019 Happily though, it looks like summer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[138,82,41,81,80,94,25,27],"class_list":["post-668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-drink","tag-drink","tag-fine-dining","tag-food","tag-hall","tag-hambleton","tag-oakham","tag-restaurant","tag-rutland"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668","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=668"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":671,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions\/671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}