Red Carnation Hotels

PRESS ROOM

An Inspector Calls at Summer Lodge

12/01/2007

On the hall table at Summer Lodge sit reviews of the hotel as they’ve appeared in various publications around the world.

There’s one from a U.S. newsletter: ‘Here is a symphony of the most extraordinary kind. We have known few places on this planet where all is in perfect harmony, where man and nature join in an embrace to produce the very best experience that makes you truly love life.’

Gracious! Steady on with the expectations, if you don’t mind. Actually our hopes are already high because this is a Relais & Chateaux establishment that has just had hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on it.

We were greeted warmly and showed to a huge room that has two bathrooms, one with a roll-top bath and a flat screen TV, the other with a walk-in shower and lots of Penhaligon’s products.

Without asking, we’ve been upgraded and I like hotels that upgrade you when space permits. There’s a four-poster bed, with a TV strapped to the inside of one of the uprights and the décor is opulent – but nothing compared with dinner.

We start with drinks in the drawing room, where several other couples are perusing the menu. Canapés come and go (Cornish turbot n little pieces of cucumber, duck confit with chilli mayo, cheese straws) and then the sommelier arrives to make a few recommendations.

He thinks a white rioja will do the job and I tend to agree before noticing it costs £63 a bottle.

Summer Lodge is expensive, but the food is a triumph and the service spectacular. We are given an amuse bouche, comprising a tiny baked spud topped with crème fraiche and caviar. Then I move on to a sensational salmon terrine, while my companion purrs about her pheasant and chestnut soup.

I keep going with fish – Cornish brill fillet with gnocchi in a herby sauce – while she plays safe with Aberdeen Angus fillet with oxtail and brisket hash. Safe but very sure. I’m sure chef Steven Titman will get a Michelin star soon.

Certainly, the ‘less is more’ principle has been lost at Summer Lodge, you need to arrive hungry and be ready to receive some tender loving care from the capable staff.

Just before we leave, the dapper South African manager appears and wishes us well. Then we are handed two brown carrier bags, each containing a bottle of water, a chocolate bar and fruit. It’s a nice touch.

Summer Lodge deserves to succeed – and it will once it gains in confidence and stops leaving glowing reviews in the halls.

Author: Daily Mail

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