Sometimes a night away can make all the difference. Twenty four hours of adventure and a change of scenery is all it takes to freshen up your perspective and lets face it, we all need that every once in a while. So, Matt and I planned our escape.
With the kind offer of accommodation at Ox Pasture Hall, we were all set for a drive over to the east coast to spend some time in Scarborough. If you’ve ever made the journey from west to east in northern England you’ll know it’s a taxing drive. The roads twist and turn, you’ll crawl through sleepy villages and then climb up to a road that is so high it has permanent gates to close it off in bad weather. It was hairy in places, but the views were well worth it.
As we neared our hotel, we turned on to Lady Edith’s Drive. We were in the most idyllic country side. Pheasants and partridge popped in and out of the hedgerows and with only a few hundred meters to go, we passed a beautiful lake.
As we turned in to the drive of Ox Pasture Hall, this old converted farm building greeted us from within its sprawling gardens.
We checked in and were led to our room through a series of courtyards and alley ways.
The room was furnished with oak and a super comfy king size bed, a huge bathroom and a spacious lounge and dressing area. There were some lovely touches; fresh flowers on the coffee table, two huge fluffy dressing gowns, but if I could change one thing, I’d install blinds. As you can see, there were cars and people right outside our windows so we were forced to block out the lovely daylight and draw the curtains so that we weren’t being watched. It was such a shame to darken a room with such huge windows and natural light.
The bathroom had twin sinks, a deep bath and big rainfall shower which I couldn’t wait to test out and freshen up for dinner. The amazing shower head was as powerful as it was big.
Before our meal we took a seat in the snug lounge area to look over the menu. It was a warm day when we went but I’d love to go back in the heart of Winter when the log fire is lit, I can’t imagine anywhere much nicer to spend a chilly afternoon.
Being so close to the sea, I was determined to order seafood as some part of the meal and so chose a Scarborough fish cake as my starter, with Matt going for ‘ham, egg and peas’. A mini ham hock terrine, pea mousse, crispy quail egg and pickled vegetables. Both were thoroughly enjoyed.
Matt picked lamb for his main course, with boulangère potatoes, kale and root vegetables. I opted for slow cooked belly pork, tenderloin stuffed with apricot and sage, savoy cabbage, homemade black pudding, a new potato and chutney.
We chose the assiette of desserts to share which changes daily but is basically a selection of picks from all the dessert menu. Ours had lemon cheesecake, chocolate and pistachio arctic roll, chocolate and pistachio cake, vanilla pannacotta, pear crumble, mango sorbet and a chocolate mousse.
The chocolate mousse was incredibly intense and the best of the bunch for me. Matt couldn’t single out his favourite but it was a good way to round off the meal.
With full bellies we made our way to the bar area and ordered a bottle of prosecco. The bar and lounge were full to the brim with the wedding party for the next day but the bartender handled it brilliantly. Kids were in and out, relatives were arriving but it was nice to see the excitement of the family get together.
As the night drew in, we scooped up the prosecco and ice bucket and made our way back through the chain of courtyards and alleys to our room.
We went to bed with the thought that with just a few tiny tweaks, this could be a truly amazing place to stay. In Matt’s books though, it all rested on the breakfast and that’s a post for another day.
Let me know what you think