Fire and Ice at Dewsall Court

There is nothing more I love doing than spending a day in beautiful surrounds in the Welsh countryside with all the chaos of the city left far behind me while gathering around a perfectly laid table with wine, good company and excellent food and that was exactly what my day exploring Dewsall Court in Hereford was like. 

As soon as you turn up the driveway towards Dewsall and you get a glimpse of the Manor House you know your in for a treat. Firstly the setting is breathtaking with the property being set among formal and informal gardens, converted out buildings and barns as well as a 12th century church set at the bottom of the garden which is perfect if your looking for somewhere special to tie the knot. 

Heading up towards the front door with it's wreath decorated with pheasant feathers you step straight into a rustic open plan kitchen space with flagstones and an Aga and you straight away you get that homely feel which runs throughout the property. I then went through to the main reception hall with a large fire place and fresh home made cookies while Samantha, the daughter of the owners of Dewsall and whom grew up in this fantastic place which was then a family home, took us through the history of Dewsall place.

After coffee we headed upstairs to explore the many bedrooms of Dewsall, all decorated and designed in an individual way yet all within keeping of the house. With each room there was such attention to detail from the hand painted wall paper to hand crafted furniture I could of stayed all day just exploring the many bedrooms and stunning en-suites.

After our tour of the main house and grounds we sat down in the main dining room which walls have the most beautiful hand painted silk wallpaper and a large windows overlooking the grounds. We had the pleasure of trying out the Fire and Ice menu which they recently launched at their Christmas Parties earlier this month. 

The first course was a traditional beetroot Borsch with Sour Cream and Chives which was simply divine, small and packed with flavour that it was even a hit with Natalie's (of Plutonium Sox blog) 2yr old daughter. 

The Fire and Ice menu offers a vegetarian option which I went for and the Borsch was followed up by a wonderfully light Pea Arancini which was full of depth and I honestly could of ate another three or four of these. This was then followed by Crispy Halloumi with mint, pomegranate, smoky creamed corn and baby grilled aubergine. 

To top things off we finished up with a Hot Chocolate and Sloe Gin Pudding which was extremely rich but full of flavour and has to be one of the best desserts I have had this year. I can completely understand why these one-off events Dewsall holds are so popular, in fact they had to add an extra date to their Fire and Ice parties due to high demand.

Dewsall is such a special place, especially if your looking to celebrate a momentous event and want a venue that is both unique but also homely and offers a space to relax and make yourself home for a day or so. You can also hire Dewsall Court for exclusive use, it sleeps up to 27 and they can arrange for a private chef and catered meals or you may opt to have a wedding reception or exclusive party in their converted barn. 

I really enjoyed my day learning about how the Robinson family took what was a derelict building and brought it back to life and hearing the fond childhood memories it has held for them. The whole place has been lovelily restored and the epitome of British countryside chic.