A return visit to Hambleton Hall this month celebrates a wonderful setting, a warm welcome and of course, the exceptional dining for which the place has been renowned since 1980…

Some things in life just fill you with an overwhelming sense of happiness. A warm summer day, for instance. A really nice-looking garden or time spent with family or friends enjoying good food and drink.

Since 1980, Hambleton Hall has offered all of the above and more. It has also managed to remain consistently and unequivocally at the top of its game ever since it first opened its doors, obtaining its Michelin star in 1982 and retaining it ever since under its first head chef Nick Gill (brother of food writer A A Gill) and then Aaron Patterson who remains at the helm today.

Hambleton Hall has also incubated some of the best talent in the industry today from its own Julian Carter, co-founder of Hambleton Bakery, to Ben Jones & Sean Hope (co-founders of The Olive Branch at Clipsham), to chef Neil Hitchen of Hitchen’s Barn and former pastry chef Fiona Cairns who went on to make Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake. We could continue, but suffice to say a position within the kitchens of Hambleton Hall is a coveted opportunity to learn from the best.

Tim & Stefa acquired the former hunting lodge, dating back to 1881 and once owned by Eva Astley Paston Cooper who would entertain the likes of Noël Coward, Malcolm Sargent and Charles Scott Moncrieff.

Hambleton Hall’s country house hotel feel and its 17 bedrooms were created by Stefa Hart, a creator of fine country house interiors in collaboration with former colleague Nina Campbell. And of course, general manager Chris Hurst, restaurant director Graeme Matheson and sommelier Dominique Baduel have between them a combined 70 years of experience at  Hambleton Hall.

The hotel remains synonymous with very good dining, but it would be remiss to overlook the time and attention to detail that all of the above have invested in creating the overall Hambleton Hall experience of warm and professional service in a great setting.

To its credit Hambleton Hall never ever feels intimidating despite the grandeur of the setting or the knowledge of its customers that they’re walking through the door of one of Britain’s best restaurants.

During lunchtime service there are two options including a Lunch for Less menu with two options per course for £54/two courses plus an optional third course and/or coffee and chocolates. A three course à la carte lunchtime menu provides four choices per course at £115/three courses.

A dedicated Sunday lunch menu provides three courses  for £84, and during both lunchtime and evening service a Gourmet Corner addition to the menu provides the option of enjoying a couple of rather special dishes whose components are particularly indulgent.

Dinner at Hambleton Hall is £115/three courses and changes on a daily basis with Aaron and the team keen to design dishes mindful of whatever ingredients are proving particularly good at the time.

Aaron’s one-acre kitchen garden adjacent to the hotel provides the chef with a range of produce and enables him to teach his 16-strong brigade that growing and using fresh ingredients is integral to the creation of their dishes.

The garden is also integral to Hambleton Hall’s provision of a dedicated plant-based menu with several options available to diners, ensuring they don’t feel like an afterthought.

Hambleton Hall’s gardens are also open on Wednesday 21st June as part of a Garden Day & Lunch event. Following morning coffee, guests will enjoy a tour of Market Overton’s Old Hall, Cottesmore’s Chapel Farm and then a tour of Hambleton Hall’s own kitchen garden, prior to a three course lunch and a tour of the garden itself afterwards.

Other ingredients are carefully sourced, locally where possible, and of course Hambleton Bakery provides the hotel with its bread.

The latter is a success story in its own right, established in 2008 with six shops and two more due to open in Rothley and St Ives, plus a new 24-hour bakehouse which opened in 2022 to accommodate demand for its flagship Hambleton Sourdough loaf.

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on Hambleton Hall’s website and to sign up to the hotel’s newsletter to ensure you’re kept up to date with events such as wine tasting evenings and foraging events plus partnerships with companies like luxury small ship cruise specialists Silversea, motor racing company Palmersport and Nevill Holt Opera.

Whilst the hospitality profession has doubtless faced myriad challenges in recent years Hambleton Hall has remained rock solid.

It’s little surprise given the quality, warmth and consistency that the company offers its diners and guests, and its keenness to remain one of the most welcoming and enjoyable experiences not just in the area but nationally.

It’s easy to gush about Hambleton Hall and make reference to Michelin-starred cuisine and the very beautiful environment.

But hopefully the best compliment and certainly the most honest appraisal I can give is that whenever I walk through the door, I feel welcome and I feel happy. Hambleton Hall’s team works hard to ensure it’s a place that makes everybody smile, every single time.

On The Menu

Starters

Poached king prawns, ponzu, avocado, seaweed.
Paté of chicken liver, crab apple purée, Calvados.
Terrine of heritage carrot, spiced carrot ice cream.
Slow cooked octopus, chorizo with lemon & ginger sauce, squid ink pasta.

Main Courses

Roast quail, mushroom risotto, salsify, sauternes sauce.
Loin of Launde Farm lamb, sweetbread, aubergine with chickpea & black garlic.
Rib eye of Red Hill farm pork and braised kohlrabi with apple & crackling.
Poached fillet of turbot with clams, cucumber, oyster leaf sauce.

Gourmet Corner

Sturia Oscietra caviar, potato ice cream, buckwheat (starter £5.00 supplement).
Fillet of beef, oxtail, eryngii mushrooms, yam bean & red wine sauce (main course, £8.00 supplement).

Desserts

Hambleton’s tiramisu.
Calvados chiboust, blackberries, apple sorbet
A selection of farmhouse cheeses with Hambleton Bakery bread, grapes & celery.

Hambleton Hall, Ketton Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.