The Cotswolds are among the most photogenic areas in the United Kingdom, and the Lords of the Manor Hotel is a perfect base from which to explore them. This luxurious hotel has the only Michelin starred hotel dining room in Gloucestershire, and is set in one of the prettiest Cotswolds villages, Upper Slaughter.
The building itself is a honey-coloured former rectory that dates from the 17th century. Despite the grandeur of the surroundings, it’s a remarkably relaxed place.
Lords of the Manor Hotel Review
The hotel takes pride of place in the village and there’s a large car park at the back. Pushing open the front door, we were warmly greeted by members of staff.
There is a feeling of arriving home that is hard to describe, but apparently quite a few visitors comment on it. You feel like you’re visiting friends living in the countryside.
Attention to detail is impressive – when we stayed, it was just before Christmas and the hotel was festooned with decorations and Christmas trees. Named by the Good Hotel Guide as their ‘Country House Hotel of the Year 2015’ and by The Independent as one of the 10 Best Country House Hotels, Lords of the Manor is still privately owned.
Accommodation at Lords of the Manor Hotel
The traditionally styled bedrooms have wonderful views of either the lawns and lake, or the walled garden at the back. With all mod cons including complimentary wifi, you’ll be sure to get an excellent night’s sleep. We were staying in a spacious Rectory Room, situated in the main house.
Just look at the view from our window…The bathroom is stocked with beautifully scented L’Occitane toiletries and there are fluffy Lords of the Manor bathrobes to relax in.
Facilities at Lords of the Manor Hotel
With three comfortable guest lounges, there’s plenty of space to read the newspapers or enjoy a cocktail, enjoying the crackling log fires in Wintertime. You’ll certainly feel to the manor born!
Hotel Grounds
In Summertime, guests can play croquet on the back lawn and in Winter, there are wellies provided so you can have a walk down to the lake without muddying your shoes. There are 8 acres to explore in all…
Dining at Lords of the Manor Hotel
They know how to do things in style here and before dinner, you’ll be invited to have a drink in the bar whilst your table is prepared. Our drinks came with a tasty selection of appetizers.
Choosing from the wine list may take some time, as there are 1000 bins! With a huge selection of European and New World wines, all budgets are catered for.
The hotel holds occasional Wine Dinners with vineyard owners introducing their wines to guests. Mr Luxe opted for an elegant glass of Lagar de Cervera Albarino 2014 white wine from Galicia in Spain, whilst I sampled a ripe Tuscan Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2013.
The Head Chef at Lords of the Manor is Richard Picard-Edwards, who has worked at Mallory Court and Lucknam Park. Using classic French techniques and the freshest seasonal ingredients, he has retained the Lords of the Manor’s Michelin star which they have held for over 8 years in a row.
Before our starters, we were treated to a delicate amuse-bouche of foamy mushroom mousse. In terms of presentation, my starter was probably my favourite and it didn’t disappoint in terms of taste.
A mix of white and brown Cornish crab, it was served with a savoury oyster cream and Oscietra caviar – one of the most prized caviars in the world.
Mr Luxe was delighted with his braised beef cheek with a succulent roast duck liver, celeriac and Autumn truffle – a perfect dish to eat at this time of year, hearty yet subtle thanks to the perfumed truffle. My loin and haunch of Salisbury venison was beautifully tender and they’d managed to cook it exactly as I’d requested, not too red and not too well-done.
It was accompanied with creamed celeriac, sprouts, pickled red cabbage purée, blackberries and a fruity sloe gin sauce. I even ate the Brussels sprouts which has to be a first!
Mr Luxe was not to be outdone and his braised lardo glazed fillet of halibut was equally moreish. Served with chestnuts, butternut squash, crosnes (otherwise known as Chinese artichoke), bay leaf cream and a Thai shellfish foam, it was heaven on a plate.
Before our desserts, we had another nice surprise – a light cleanse palate which also had a mousse-like consistency. For dessert, I tried something different – an apple and vanilla cheesecake with pistachio purée, poached apples and apple sorbet.
I’m not actually a fan of pistachio, though I did find that the flavours all complemented each other very nicely with the tarteness of the apple balancing the sweetness of the pistachio.
I had a soft spot for Mr Luxe’s dessert, a wonderful concoction of coffee, mascarpone mousse and parfait, with Amaretti biscuits and a coffee bean ice cream.
Breakfast
After one of the best night’s sleeps that we have had in ages – no noise, no light, just peace and quiet – we tucked into a hearty breakfast. You help yourself to cereals and juice from the buffet and then order a dish from the breakfast menu.
I went for healthy smoked salmon and scrambled eggs which were cooked just right. Mr Luxe loved the traditional English breakfast, as well as the fresh pastries.
Things to Do Nearby
The village of Upper Slaughter itself is a lovely place for Cotswold walks. The disused phone box has been turned into a defribillator.
We’ve seen a few of these recently and apparently it’s an initiative between BT and the Community HeartBeat Trust to “adopt a telephone box“, turning them into mini medical centres – what a great initiative!
You can also reach the neighbouring village of Lower Slaughter in under 10 minutes on foot. Further afield, there are lots of interesting visitor attractions and plenty of other interesting things to do in the Cotswolds.
If you like shopping, the designer outlets at Bicester Village are easily reached within an hour. Cirencester is also well worth a visit.
Final Thoughts on the Lords of the Manor
For a cosy yet luxurious gourmet stay in the heart of the Cotswolds, the Lords of the Manor takes some beating. It’s one of our favourite hotels in the Cotswolds and I’d highly recommend it.
Lords of the Manor, Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire GL54 2JD, United Kingdom
Our stay was complimentary for the purposes of this review
Looks like a beautiful and elegant place! Perfect for a festive break x
It was such a nice place for a festive break, the decorations were lovely!
Everything looks beautiful and amazing! http://www.alovelystyle.com/
It certainly was, Rakel – thanks for stopping by
The view looks gorgeous outside of your window!
Candice | Beauty Candy Loves
I know, the view took some beating and the sunset was gorgeous!
Sounds like a wonderful stay! I love the addition of using L’occitane toiletries, that’s a nice touch! Beautiful photos of the property and your meals, breakfast looks amazing!
http://www.mintnotion.com
Breakfast was so delicious, I always judge a hotel by the quality of the scrambled eggs 😉
Stunning view, this place is so elegant!!!!!
xo Paola
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It’s got a very relaxed elegance that I absolutely loved!
I like the warm feel of the hotel room. And these desserts are to die for! Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience.
www.luxessed.com
The desserts were so pretty and they tasted really light so we didn’t feel overloaded
Wow, this looks absolutely incredible. Beautiful architecture and views. I’d like to visit the Cotswolds this year so I’ll add this to the list of possible places to stay; also, your red coat is beautiful and those food pics!!! Xx
I hope you get to the Cotswolds, they’re so stunning! I wear that red coat to death 😉
Mmmmm mushroom mousse?! Yes please! I’ve always wanted to explore the Cotswalds, as I’ve heard so many great things and your photos certainly back them up! The views from that cosy hotel are incredible
Rachel xx
http://www.thedailyluxe.net
Hello dream home! That sunset!
Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com
It would be lovely as a private home, in fact it still feels like one
It does look like royalty’s house. Gosh, imagine actually living there. I think I won’t ever leave the house. 😛
It’s such a lovely village too and the neighbours are very friendly
I absolutely adore the Cotswolds, such a gorgeous, calming, stunning place. But this Manor just looks so beautiful, homely and cosy but also so luxurious!
Elle
www.theellenextdoor.com
xx
It struck a great balance between homely and luxurious
What a fabulous place to spend a romantic weekend. I love all the grounds, and the food looks delicious too. You look fabulous Sue!
That’s very kind, Carmen – I hope your New Year has started well!
Feeling at home in a hotel is something I’ve never experienced in my life. The view from your window is just stunning, and the garden is a little paradise. The food from the dinner and breakfast looks so extraordinary. Would love to try cheesecake with pistachio puree, mm. Thanks for the nice virtual tour! Have a nice weekend!
Sun and Sany – Bulgarian Travel and Leisure Blog
That’s interesting, I think you just haven’t found the right hotel yet 😉 It was so peaceful there – have a great weekend too!
What a wonderful-looking hotel; the location is ideal and the view from your bedroom is breathtakingly beautiful! How lovely to have visited at Christmas time too, every hotel seems to be more magical in December. I REALLY love your tweed blazer shown in one of the snaps by the way, I hope you don’t mind me asking where you found it? 🙂
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x
Thanks Gabrielle, the blazer is from a Spanish company called Vilagallo, they have a shop in London
I am absolutely in love with this place. I love the ambiance, I love the food… I just love everything about this place and your photos. Simply beautiful Suze.
Kia / KTS
www.houseofkts.com
The hotel had so much charm so it was easy to capture it!
Wow amazing place, the surrounding is beautiful too!!!
Yummy food 😉
Hugs from Athens!
Yes the village itself is so picturesque, has to be seen to be believed!
It’s luxe but it is very cosy too, everything is low key but charming!
I love that the hotel is so luxurious while having such a charming character! From the service to the presentation of the food, looks like a picture perfect weekend 🙂 xxx
It really was a perfect break and it feels almost like a fairytale, it’s so quaint
this is such a beautiful place. I like everything about it from outside to inside. The first photo has such beautiful colors and all of the interiors are so charming and cozy.
I’d love to visit one day.
xxx
mari
www.ilovegreeninspiration.com
Staying there really brightened up a dull Winter weekend!
I love the Costwolds, such a beautiful part of the world and the view from your window stunning. I love venison and it looks delicious here Lucy x
What a gorgeous view to wake up to, didn’t want to leave
Everything looks so cosy! Love that venison, it looks perfect x
The venison was absolutely yummy!
Oh I remember looking this place up when I visited Cotswolds last year, it looks stunning and the food sounds amazing. Though I am a little disappointed to see that I missed out on spotting the defib in a phonebox when I went to Upper Slaughter then – the geek in me would have loved to have seen that!
You’d probably have been able to make good use of that defribillator with your skills!
Looks absolutely wonderful! Beautiful food photography as well 🙂
This place really does look amazing! We love heading over the the Cotswolds for a weekend away, particularly in the Spring.
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