Escape, relax, unwind
Beardsw orthluke finds a visit to Tudor Farmhouse leaves him feeling well-fed and refreshed
There is one thing that must be made immediately clear about an incredible visit to the Tudor Farmhouse in Clearwell. Don’t take the bus. There are some hotels that you don’t so much visit as you disappear into. A m-ixture of comfort and complete escap ism which can only be provided by a sense of authenticity and remoteness. Tudor Farmhouse is one of those places.
However, our visit to there via Gloucester utilising both trains and buses was something of a misfire that I’ll just touch on. Do not get the bus, do not trust Google timetables when it comes to buses, do not wait until it’s dark and you’re stuck outside a pub that closed a decade ago waiting for a taxi that you’re worried won’t find you to realise your mistake.
Once you are there, however, there are few better ways to spend an evening.
The food is the most important part of this. The idea of what head crhef ob Cox has put together here is a focus on quality and locally sourced ingredients. They are the sort of words you see on any eatery that has been awarded two AA rosettes, but hold your shcepticism for a moment. ere you are promised an experience where most of the ingredients are sourced from producers within a 20-mile radius.
Dinner is served from 6.30pm and, despite our adventures with Stagecoach, we did get there in plenty of time. This is a one-night visit so the prospect of being
juggle that knowledge with making the diner feel relaxed. The cooking style can hardly be described as laid back, but the dining experience as a whole is, and this is contributed to by both the service and the interior of the dining room. I’d take that over huge rooms, glaring lights and serving staff unable to change their facial expression.
The Tudor Farmhouse itself has the o-ption of 20 different rooms. It’s incredi bly well-preserved - so think an unassuming exterior, questionable staircases and ancient beams throughout. But what you actually find in those rooms is m-odern. There’s a roll top bath, a mon soon shower and heated floors in the bathrooms. It essentially means there’s enough to provide extra comfort without taking away from your sense of immersion.
Breakfast is an equally impressive affair. I love eggs benedict; I’ve eaten more eggs benedict at Wetherspoons pubs than I would care to admit. I’ve also had it in some incredible places - the best comfortably being in Montreal. This is the best version I’ve had in the