A proper country escape with Tudor vibes and a cracking dinner
We first went to Great Fosters, a Surrey countryside hotel not far from London, many years ago and have been back several times since. There are lots of things we love about it – the historic Grade I listed Tudor building (it was once a Royal hunting lodge), the pretty grounds with its manicured gardens, the massive outdoor swimming pool – and its a place that keeps drawing us back
As it had been a few years since our last visit, and the hotel is now part of the Alexander Collection, we thought it was high time to come back and see what was new at Great Fosters.
It’s a very easy journey from London. You can hop on a train at Waterloo to Egham which takes around 40 mins; then it’s a 20 minute walk or a quick £6 cab. Or if you live near an Overground station you can ride it all the way to Richmond and then get on the train to Egham from there.
One of our favourite things to do at Great Fosters is rock up on a sunny day (we were lucky to catch one in early September) and lounge out by the pool with a club sandwich, a bowl of fries and a glass of fizz. So that’s exactly what we did as soon as we arrived, before getting some lengths in. The pool is huge and has recently had the upgrade of being heated – we have to admit that it was actually a little too hot but at least it means that it can be used much later in the year. You could jump in here when it was snowing and be quite happy. Another cool new feature are the Pool Days packages, meaning that you can actually come down here just to use the pool without even staying, as long as you’re booking a lunch / spa treatment package. This is an excellent tip for Londoners come the next heatwave.
The other big news here is the appointment of a new chef, Stefano Di Giosia, at the helm of the Michelin starred Tudor Pass restaurant. Stefano was most recently at KOL and before that was at The Fat Duck in the development kitchen for five years. Safe to say the Tudor Pass is in very good hands.
We went for the new signature tasting menu which showcased some great summer ingredients, many of which are grown just steps away in the estate’s own kitchen gardens and orchards. We loved the Nutbourne tomato, dressed with fresh lemon verbena, cucumber and gin, as well as the chalk stream trout, served with garden rose petals, douglas fir oil and radishes.
Next was a huge Orkney scallop served on a bed of English pea puree and topped with caviar and lardo, before a lovely dish of fallow deer with celeriac, blackberry and timid pepper. For dessert there was Estate Dairy yogurt with Great Fosters damson, fig leaf and loganberry, plus Kentish strawberry with red Kampot pepper, white chocolate and basil.
An excellent meal all round, and we really appreciated the lightness of touch and how well judged and paced the meal was. So often you will end a meal like this feeling too stuffed but this was spot on.
There are a variety of rooms at Great Fosters, from the historic suites in the main building, to more modern rooms in the newer outbuildings. This time we stayed in the Dower House section, a row of former Estate cottages that are now split into seven rooms. We had a lovely big bathtub, marble clad shower and huge comfy bed, laden with pillows. There’s all the mod cons you’d expect too, including TV, tea and coffee and bluetooth speaker. Crucially these rooms also have air con, which isn’t allowed in the main house due to its Grade I listed status.
The next morning we took a leisurely stroll around the gorgeous grounds, with its old wooden bridge over the moat draped in wisteria, maze-like manicured hedges, and the lake, where we even spotted a little deer.
We loved heading back to Great Fosters, so if you’ve not been before, it’s well worth taking a look. Even if you don’t want to stay over, you could come for a day by the pool, dinner at the Tudor Pass, and get back into town easily!
Great Fosters, Stroude Road, Egham, Surrey TW20 9UR
alexanderhotels.co.uk
