Fantastically Far from the Madding Crowd

I don’t know about you, but after a year unlike any other, my once quiet desire to dodge crowds has gone through the roof.

After a day spent stepping into roads to avoid pavements packed with tourists in Stow-on-the-Wold, swearing at no parking spaces and watching queues of traffic get longer and longer up and down the high street, I wanted to retreat from it all.

But with my much-loved bars and restaurants open once again, I was torn between wanting to hide away and a desire to go somewhere too. I just wanted that ‘somewhere’ to be roomy, spacious and airy, where I could feel wild and free, and well catered for.

Pub after pub was fully booked and so we turned to a hotel. But not just any hotel. Cowley Manor.

We’re lucky that this beauty spot is within a half an hour drive of our front door, but do we often visit? No, we don’t! Like fools, we drive joylessly down the M5 to popular (and crowded) coastal retreats in the south west.

This time, we looked at the traffic warnings stretching up and down the UK bathed in rare sunshine and decided there’s no place like home. We were sure something local must be able to deliver on the escapism we were so desperately seeking.

Admittedly, it’s perhaps asking a bit much from your hotel down the road. But, if we were being rather demanding, Cowley Manor exceeded our expectations.

I’ll set the scene.

Imagine winding country lanes that lead you to a place that feels like a hidden secret. A place that seems to have been hushed up, so not too many people head in that direction.

And at the end of your pretty (and short!) drive, you arrive at quite the country pile.

Cowley Manor is overflowing with honey stoned splendour and is filled with a modern airiness that fools you into thinking it’s some kind of modern arts space.

We stepped out of the stylish interior onto a terrace to be greeted with views that stop you in your tracks. And we stood in wonder at the sheer gloriousness of the verdant greenery in front of us.

I’m afraid I couldn’t stop gawking at the rolling grassy slopes and vibrant blue skies flecked with perfect fluffy white clouds. The distant pretty bell tents, with friends and family spilling out onto the lawns surrounding them, only added to the charm.

When asked if I might like a glass of prosecco, I simply nodded and carried on staring, so enchanting was the lake and deckchairs and hammocks scattered around it.

With eyes alight at our spectacular surroundings, we fervently hoped the quality of food would follow suit.

We decided on a selection of nibbles, a main and side to share between the two of us, to keep lunch light and to get the chance to try a variety of flavours.

Each dish was so good, we couldn’t choose a favourite. The flaky pastry wrapped lamb sausage roll packed a real punch and was enhanced by the velvety vibrant green pea, caramelised red onion and mint dipping sauce.

Our huge pork pie came with the most chunky, creamy and rustic piccalilli I’ve ever tried. Every crunch of cauliflower and baby carrot was sheer delight.

Our colourful heritage tomato salad was refreshing and beautiful, with chunks of fresh smoked mozzarella, garden fennel and herbs adding to the texture and flavour.

Skin-on fries were a tasty and wise decision to pair with our shared main course of ginger and chilli infused crab and cod fishcake served with a sweetcorn succotash.

The quality of food was so good we refused to skip dessert - simply because we didn’t want to miss out!

After a short wait, out came an incredibly rich and indulgent chocolate delice with salted caramel, pistachio, pecan with chocolate and cherry glaze, which we chopped in half and combined with a second pud of gin-soaked strawberries with vanilla sponge and cream.

There aren’t really adequate words to describe just how good they were, other than to say - try them yourself and see if you can find the superlatives!

Chase pink peppercorn gin macerated strawberries

The beauty of Cowley Manor is that your enjoyment doesn’t end after you finish your last morsel. We spent a happy half an hour wandering the extensive grounds taking in water features, lakes and embracing our inner child on a wooden swing hidden in the woodlands.

By the time we left, the real world felt something of a shock to return to. Such is the other worldly charm of this place, it was as if we’d slipped into a fairytale for an afternoon and left with a sprinkle of manor magic in our souls.

And I’ve got a feeling that magic might draw us back very soon…

For more information visit www.cowleymanor.com