Wearing: Dress Neon Rose ASOS | Shoes Jimmy Choo’s (similar) | Bag Gucci
The General Tarleton is actually marketed more as a “five-star restaurant with rooms” and not a hotel with restaurant, so you just know that the emphasis is more geared to the foodie aspect of the place which I was more than excited for.
After freshening up and dropping our bags off in the room we went down to the bar to sample a nice cocktail. James of course went for a Timothy Taylor pint (standard!) whilst I chose the “Enzo’s Bellini” which is a mix of crème de peche, mango, prosecco and a sugar cube. It was deeeelicious but very sweet!
We took our drinks out in to the courtyard style garden which was beautiful and I could have easily plonked myself their all night with the pretty flowers and fairy lights, but alas a big black cloud was heading our way and thunder and lightning was threatening so we sharply made it indoors before the heavens decided to open.
Seeing as though the weather had other ideas about us enjoying the outdoors on a lovely, warm friday evening we retreated indoors and had a little nosey around the place. This cute little snug is clearly perfect for an “after dinner drink” or a cosy cup of hot chocolate laid up next to the fire in the winter.
This was one of my favourite rooms in the building, with lavish velvet sofas and wooden furniture, to the log burning fire and fresh flowers it wouldn’t have looked out-of-place in a Country Living magazine.
The colour scheme was seriously zen. I’m not a massive purple lover, but in this stone built room, it just fit. Perfectly.
Once we had a little up and down of the place, we went back through to the restaurant that was bumbling away. It’s nice to hear a soft hum of chatter throughout the night, I feel like it’s a good sign of a good night and that people are comfortable in the environment.
We took our seats and James chose (in secret!) a bottle of red for us to both enjoy. He chose a French Cabernet, and if I have to be totally honest, it wasn’t his best choice. And whilst it wasn’t offensive, I personally prefer a much more rounded taste of a spicier Merlot or Malbec from South America. If I had my time again, I think I’d have chosen a different bottle. (Although, variety is the spice of life as I’m often reminded of by Mr C!)
We had a good look through the menu and I was pretty much salivating just thinking about the food we were about to eat. I went for the “Little Money Bags” which is a filo parcel filled with lots and lots and lots of seafood. I was not disappointed by the sheer quantity (and quality!) of prawns, haddock, lobster and more. Finished off with a creamy, lobster sauce. I almost wanted to lick the plate it was that good. A nice piece of bread would have done well to mop up the excess!
James had the “Seared King Scallops and The GT’s Homemade Black Pudding” and once again, the scallops and black pudding were a winning combination for Mr C. I’d have gladly eaten both plates had I had the chance.
As far as portion sizes went, it was fab. Usually at gastro style pubs you expect very little on the plate so when our starters were brought out we were very, pleasantly surprised and it was even more of a win that the quality was not brought down in favour of sheer volume. top marks from me!
I’m a massive starter fan, so it takes a lot for a main meal to win me over more than a starter. Well, my expectations were about to be blow out of the water.
On a recommendation from our waiter I went for the Iberico Pork, a dish served “pink” which I was a little dubious about at first but by sweet jesus and heaven’s above was it cooked perfectly. I think it is something to do with which cut of meat suits being pink when served. It came with layered, dauphinoise potatoes which really filled any hole that may have been have been available at this point and some fresh veg too.
But the showstopper came in he form of Mr C’s main course. He had clearly been eyeing up the menu’s throughout the day and he made a solid choice. The Venison. The “Haunch of Holme Farmed Venison” was insanely out of this world of the tate-o-meter. In fact I can’t stop thinking about it, and I only had two bites. It was accompanied with dauphinoise potato, chervil root, celeriac, beetroot, kale and blackberries which all added to the depth, intense flavours. We have said that we are going back to have this again in the near future!
I wish I could explain just how good it was. I guess you will just have to go see and taste it for yourself!
After asking for a twenty minute gap before any puddings were brought out to us, we just sat and repeated to one another about how good the venison was (I know. Thrilling!)
We very nearly only shared a pudding between us because we were so full but we decided to go the whole hog and order two to share so we could dip in and out of them.
We chose the “rhubarb trio dessert” which had various mini deserts all centred round rhubarb which included a crumble, a brulee, compote and vanilla ice-cream – which were all so tasty and not too heavy or sweet! Our favourite was the brulee.
We also shared the “Coconut Panna cotta” – give me anything with coconut in and I’m a happy girl and this certainly made my taste buds tingle with excitement. Made with this new seasons peaches, mango sorbet, candied tarragon and orange biscuit – the textures all made this an incredible pudding!
We finished with a coffee each, mainly to try wash the food down. We had been severely spoilt with all three courses (writing this has made my tummy rumble!)
And we retired up to bed around 10.30pm. It was so nice to not feel rushed from our tables and were always made to feel welcome throughout the meal.
As we laid down in our soft, comfy beds, bellies full watching a little bit of TV before we dosed off, I was well and truly content with my foodie experience at the General tarleton.
Other than the rather hot night we had (a fan would have been welcome) I had a really comfortable night sleep. The bed was very comfy!
We got to bathe in Molton Brown goodies before heading down to breakfast too, which was a real nice, luxury touch to the Inn.
Whilst the rooms wouldn’t be classed as “The Ritz” it had that typical country pub feel to them which was homely and clean – which is exactly what you want when you’re spending a weekend in the countryside.
Breakfast was another thing of beauty. It is served in an atrium style come orangery room.
With various continental offerings such as cereals and pastries, there was also the option of a cooked breakfast. Mr c went with his traditional full english, whilst I went with my all time favourite, Eggs Benedict. I have to say it was THE BEST Eggs Benedict I’ve ever had. There was absolutely no hint of vinegar (which most do and it sometimes is a bit too much.) Everything was perfection, from the soft, toasted muffin to the crispy bacon and of course the perfectly cooked poached egg.
When I can eat that again?
We had such a lovely night away, and with the place not being too far from our doorstep I know we will be back again in the future!
Fancy your chances of winning a two course meal for 2 at the General Tarleton – click here to find out more!
Bee
Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin | Pinterest | Facebook
*Our stay, food and drinks were provided to us free of charge in return for a review, all thoughts and views are my own and true to the experiences we had.
I love to hear from my readers! Leave me a comment 🙂