What’s in it for foodies?
Where do I start? The locally-sourced fare should impress foodies, with most ingredients grown on the grounds or sourced sustainably nearby. Cured ham, salmon, pork and other meats are smoked on-site at the Smoke House.
Lime Wood’s ever-popular Cookery School gives guests the chance to get creative in the state-of-the-art kitchen. From decadent puds to pasta-making, preparing lobster to top-notch barbequing – there’s a workshop for any kind of cook, at any level. Workshops run daily and change with the seasons.
During the summer, Lime Wood and its parent hotel group put on a music and food fest: Smoked and Uncut Festival.
The main attraction for food-lovers though is HH&Co Restaurant…
Hartnett Holder & Co Restaurant
Lime Wood’s acclaimed restaurant – Hartnett Holder & Co – is popular with foodies, chefs and celebs alike. Dishes change daily, ingredients are foraged or grown on-site and meat is hand-reared then smoked at the hotel.
The restaurant, serving refined Italian comfort food, is run by power pair Angela Hartnett (owner of the famed Murano, Mayfair and protégée of Gordon Ramsey) and Lime Wood Executive Chef Luke Holder, having worked at a string of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Celebrity chefs guest regularly at the restaurant, with Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth and the River Cottage twosome having appeared on the bill.
Hartnett and Holder share the same food ideologies. The co-owners are passionate about the pleasure of dining with loved ones, so they’ve created a comfortable space and a lovingly-prepared menu that’s free from anything too la-di-da. Design-wise, there’s an opulent colour scheme, a dramatic oak bar, plush velvet booths and ambient lighting.
Our wild Mallard starter was divine. The plate featured tender chunks of duck with a seaweed and chilli crust and a smoky mushroom and bacon paste on the side.
The pair’s famous homemade egg pasta came next – deliciously chewy tubes of garganelli with rich wood pigeon, mozzarella and olive oil. We also enjoyed a silky, buttery linguine dish with chilli and garlic stirred through.
The seafood stew was ridiculously good. Served in a cast iron dish, it featured meaty chunks of fish (John Dory, salmon and turbot) topped with a sweet langoustine.
Leave room for dessert. If only to try the classic tiramisu (a family recipe) which we found tastier than any we’d eaten in Italy.
A memorable meal was topped off by our sommelier who had the tricky job of selecting wines for the contrasting dishes we’d ordered. She offered imaginative choices, all of which paired perfectly.
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