Confirmation to our booking of our hotel break at Flackley Ash was by email, efficient and friendly, setting a suitable and appropriate tone for our well earned break. On our way down to the hotel from our home near Reading, Berkshire, we stopped off at Tunbridge Wells, certainly worth a visit not only for the sights, buildings and shops but for the wonderful walks in and around the area. We arrived at the impressive looking hotel during the late afternoon, with ample car parking with an over-flow car park at the side of the hotel. There were a lot of cars a good sign for a Tuesday at any hotel.
We were warmly welcomed at reception and shown to our room, a double, with a small balcony overlooking a small and wooded garden. The room was attractively furnished in old pine. There were the usual TV and DVD player and trouser press available in addition to the little touches that make such short visits so very enjoyable.
We made our way to the picturesque garden and enjoyed pre-dinner drinks under the evening summer sun, purpose made evenings for drinks, dinner and good conversation. Here we were met by Emma Betteridge, who runs the hotel with her husband Joe, who made us feel very welcome, answering our questions about the area, the hotel and business in general. This was another example of the personal touch the hotel was able to bring to the many visitors like ourselves.
After showering, we made our way to the lounge area where we were met by Joe Betteridge. The menu for the restaurant was extensive and changed on a daily basis, according to the season and what is available, with a great deal of the produce local.
As we were making our selections, in itself a difficult procedure with so many attractive dishes on the menu, a basket of breads was brought for us to taste, a pleasing touch, even more so when we tasted a small selection, purely for research purposes!
My wife chose fresh local mackerel fillet, par seasoned with lemon on a white bean herb salad. This was followed by twice cooked belly pork with a sweet chilli and carrot mash, ginger, palm sugar and soy jus (a delicious twist to mash according to my wife). This was accompanied by a varied selection of fresh vegetables, fresh, colourful and very enjoyable.
My choice was Capricorn goats
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Alan McColm is QFOL's Restaurant Critic and Travel reviewer. Alan is working all over the country ... more
