Have you ever come back from a holiday and heard yourself saying “I need a break to recover from that holiday?”.
Knowing that I frequently feel like that, I jumped at the chance to stay at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa and review the new spring-summer menu in the Belton Woods Bar and Grill restaurant.
So, no sooner had my husband, Richard, and I dumped our suitcases from our week in Norfolk, we were off again and pulling up on a busy Saturday afternoon, the car park at the Grantham venue was packed.
Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
We soon found a space and headed inside. Too early to check in to our room, we made our way to the spa and enjoyed a blissful few hours, using the pool, steam room and sauna, and my favourite, the jacuzzi. I particularly enjoyed catching up on my book on a lounger beside the pool.
We were also lucky to be able to choose a treatment each and despite there being a wide selection, we both opted for the Elemis Deep Tissue Tension-Ease Massage. A huge thanks to therapist Deirdre who had a busy time on my knotted shoulders that had endured lugging a heavy camera around the British countryside!
We only had time for a quick change in our room and a complimentary drink from the minibar – a real treat for us who would never normally touch a minibar for fear of it costing the Earth – before we headed to the Belton Woods Grill restaurant, which was the main reason for our visit.
The pool at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Supplied
A treatment room at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Supplied
Belton Woods Grill. Photo: Iliffe Media
I’d been promised a mix of familiar favourites alongside an exciting line-up of new dishes, and decided to opt for some of the new options. I selected pan fried scallops with romesco, confit red pepper, smoked paprika oil and sunflower seeds for starter, while Richard chose the stilton panna cotta, which is served with toasted walnuts, poached pear, red sorrel, herb dressing and rye croutons. Having not eaten a huge amount that day, we were both hungry and also had a warm rosemary and sea salt focaccia for the table, which was served with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and butter.
For main course, I again stayed with seafood and opted for a grilled fillet of hake served with tenderstem broccoli, buttered new potatoes and a prawn and caper butter, while Richard chose a sirloin steak, which came with a baby gem and parmesan salad and a choice of chips. He also opted for a red wine beef jus to accompany it.
Stilton panna cotta. Photo: Iliffe Media
Pan-fried scallops. Photo: Iliffe Media
Rosemary and sea salt focaccia. Photo: Iliffe Media
Drinks. Photo: Iliffe Media
As neither of us were driving, I opted for a fruit cider while Richard chose a Pravha beer.
Our starters were remarkably quick to arrive to the table. I love scallops but the standout on the dish was the sauce. Richard also enjoyed his starter and appreciated that the waiter had noted his request for it to be served without walnuts. He was pleased he had the bread to hand as it was a little runnier than I would expect a dessert panna cotta to be. I definitely didn’t try it though – blue cheese is not for me!
Onto the mains and Richard’s steak was large and cooked exactly as he’d requested. He liked the sauce, although he compared it to more of a gravy than a jus.
The sirloin steak. Photo: Iliffe Media
The hake. Photo: Iliffe Media
My hake was beautifullly cooked and I appreciated the layer of flavours that came with the potato — which was more like a potato terrine. The prawn and caper butter was also lovely, if a little too salty for my taste.
The dishes were plentiful and I, unusually for me, turned down the option for a dessert. Richard still had a hankering for something sweet so selected the salted caramel truffles, which satisfied his cravings.
We enjoyed the view over the neighbouring golf course and I would have liked to have continued enjoying it from the bar with a cocktail. Instead, we went to sample the hotel’s other bar, The Claret Jug, which was showing the World Cup. Although people can enjoy the restaurant if they’re not staying at the hotel, I did feel more relaxed knowing we didn’t have far to go to our room and, as someone who usually volunteers to drive, it was nice to be able to tuck into another glass of cider.
The food menu at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
The menu at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
In this Eat My Words review, you get two meals for one as we also enjoyed breakfast the next morning back in the same restaurant area. The full English breakfast offering was among the best I’ve enjoyed at a hotel in Britain – I particularly enjoyed that the fried eggs which were really nicely cooked considering they were part of a buffet, and I’d also never seen a rhubarb juice among the offerings.
There was also a good spread of pastries, muffins, breads, cereals, yoghurt and fruit, and the menu even offered a few extra dishes but I think most guests would be perfectly satisfied with the array on offer in the buffet.
The Claret Jug bar at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
The trophy cabinet at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
Checkout from our room, which was a feature room including a balcony, was 11am so it meant the relaxation we’d felt the previous day continued without having to rush off. I think we probably would have stayed to use the leisure facilities again had we not had plans to meet my dad for Father’s Day.
Overall, though, I couldn’t fault the entire stay and I’d certainly return.
The golf course at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
The breakfast at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
The breakfast menu at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
Out of five:
Food: The food was delicious, no complaints. *****
Drink: I really enjoyed having a drink, knowing I wasn’t the designated driver for a change. *****
Decor: The hotel is clean, modern and welcoming and this extends into the restaurant. ****
The balcony off our room. Photo: Iliffe Media
A feature room at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
The bathroom of a feature room at Belton Woods Hotel, Golf and Spa. Photo: Iliffe Media
Staff: All the staff, not just in the restaurant but at hotel reception and in the spa, were a pleasure to deal with. *****
Price: Our meal and stay were largely complimentary but I did feel that some of the dishes were a little on the high side price wise. Our meal came to £97.45 with three drinks – two ciders and a Prava – priced at an additional £19. I would absolutely pay it again as part of a special weekend away and I really did feel relaxed when we left.
Our stay, spa treatments and a contribution to the meal were complimentary as invited guests.
Eat my Words
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