thetravellingwilbennetts

On Sunday after a bracing walk at Pennington Flash Local Nature Reserve we were ready for a  good feed and as my MIL and FIL had given us a voucher to spend at a boutique hotel close to where we live – Oddfellows on the Park we decided it was time to use it.

We had visited at Christmas for their Santa’s Grotto and the food and service was amazing then (read all about the after-service which blew my mind here) so we were really looking forward to a treat.

We all smartened up and then decided to build up even more of an appetite by walking there (only about 25 minutes) and as we were not driving it gave us an excuse to share a bottle of wine.

Oddfellows on the Park is a gorgeous new hotel in an old mansion house set in the grounds of the beautiful Bruntwood Park in Cheadle, Cheshire.  It is the sister hotel of the established Oddfellows hotel in Chester and every bit as design focussed.  We have yet to check out the rooms but from the photos and after experiencing the hotel in Chester I am pretty sure these will be of a high standard.

On arrival we were greeted warmly by the reception and then taken through to the Galloping Major restaurant  dining room which is a lovely space. A stunning ceiling adorns the room and then the wall to the kitchen pass is full to the brim of wine – serious wall envy there.

We were given our menus and they asked Ella if she wanted to have food off the main or children’s menu, I love when they ask the children – treating them equally and giving them a voice rather than expecting you to answer for them. Our little lady (and no doubt future food critic) asked if she could look at both so she could decide. For the grown ups there is a set menu of either 2 course for £19.50 or 3 courses for £25.50 and a selection of 4 choices on each. Each dish was making my mouth water and so the decision making process which is always drawn out with me as I fear making the wrong decision starts. I finally settled on the Chicken Terrine and Lamp Rump and Mr TWB chose the Mackeral and Lamb. The children’s menu also had a choice of 4 things and Ella decided on something from there (as long as she could sample our food). She opted for the grilled chicken wrap with fries.

So accompany our food we chose a bottle of house red and then clicked our glasses and settled in for a lovely afternoon.

The food arrived swiftly, including Ella’s dish so she wasn’t sat around waiting for us to finish. Each dish was delicious and beautifully presented – it already felt like such a treat. Starters cleared and then we were served the main event and it was gorgeous. The lamb was cooked to absolute perfection as was the veg. The only criticism was the Yorkshire Pudding was slightly overdone but with an glossy, deep flavoured gravy this was soon overlooked. We had definitely picked well.

Despite being borderline full we decided we would have desert, (there was never any doubt in Ella’s mind). I chose the Chocolate Mousse and Ella the brownies from the children’s menu. Nigel as usual decided on the cheese board and what was particularly nice was the fact he got to choose 3 cheeses from a menu selection – all which had a description of the flavour. All three were devoured and we were then ready for our walk home so that we didn’t hit a food coma.

As we found at Christmas the service was great – attentive but not intrusive, the food was delicious and surroundings delightful

A mighty feast it is not and the portions are not like our usual Carvery/Pub Lunch but this was a fine dining treat and one we will definitely be back for.

If you are in the area and fancy a treat then give it a try and let me know what you think.