On August 7th my dad turned sixty and to commemorate such a milestone we thought we'd do something special. He's a big fan of walking and the countryside in general so we thought we'd take a quick overnight trip to The Cotswolds. If you've never been you're missing out on miles upon miles of idyllic countryside and beautiful stone buildings. I've fallen so head over heels with this place that it's definitely somewhere I would consider living in the future.
We stayed at The Slaughters Manor House which is a gorgeous old stately home overlooking the stunning village of Lower Slaughter. It's within walking distance of a couple of quaint towns and of course stunning scenery as far as the eye could see. The room pictured below was the one we stayed in, situated at the top of the house. It was very beautiful, spacious, well decorated with a large modern bathroom. As far as the rooms go I can't really fault the place, if you're looking for luxury smack bang in the heart of one of the most beautiful places in England then I'd highly recommend having a look.
Lunch At The Slaughters Inn
I'm a fish and chips queen. I've made it my mission to always order the fish and chips every time I eat at somewhere that offers it for two reasons. Firstly I adore it: genuinely think it could be one of my favourite meals of all time and secondly I'm on a determined mission to find the best fish and chips in the UK. (So far All Bar One wins if you were wondering.)
So when we walked across the road from our hotel to dine at The Slaughter's in I just had to pick my signature dish. At this point I won't lie, I was incredibly tempted by the cheddar cheese and chutney sandwich however I couldn't sway.
My overall impression was that it was gorgeous but overpriced. In fact food being overpriced is going to be an overriding theme of this review! Now don't get me wrong, the fish was cooked well and the peas were nice however I could have done with slightly fatter chips (I know I'm being overly picky) and the tartar sauce wasn't the nicest. And for a dish costing £15 you would expect something good. But with that being said the setting was stunning and the overall experience great, so I would highly recommend a visit if you're in the area.
This pub also doubles up as a B&B which I imagine would be equally charming and located beautifully.
Bourton-on-the-Water
After lunch, once everyone's food comas had settled we decided to head out on a small three mile ish walk along the river to Bourton-on-the-Water. This is definitely a tourist trap as the pretty little market town was absolutely abundant with British, American and Chinese tourists. Don't get me wrong I completely get the appeal, it's delightful but it really was heaving.
Food at The Slaughters Manor
We ate both dinner and breakfast at our hotel and to be honest I have a mixed review. I really wish I could sit here and gush about how incredible it was but there were just several small things that made me question our evening in particular.
Now it's probably a good place to point out that if I'm in Pizza Express I'm nowhere near this picky. I'm not going to dissect every teeny tiny thing that's wrong with a £20 evening out, however when you're paying a crazy amount to eat somewhere that prides itself on being the pinnacle of luxury you're bound to expect something special.
To start with dinner: firstly when my mum booked the hotel she specified that we're vegetarian. We do eat fish but for the most part every member of my family is vegetarian. Upon reading the menu it was predominately meat with two fish options, one of which came with oysters which I'm allergic to. There were no vegetarian options at all, which personally I don't really think is great. I can't remember the last time I went to a restaurant that didn't offer a vegetarian option. I politely asked the waitress (who was lovely and very informative and knowledgable) if they had any vegetarian options. She replied that they did, that the chef would be happy to boil some buttered cabbage for us. Now I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a main meal that anyone would want. So I ended up only having a starter.
When the food arrived I'd say it was nice but not the nicest I'd had. The breads and appetisers were nice as was my starter however neither of my parents particularly enjoyed their mains. One thing I would say was that the presentation was absolutely wonderful and the restaurant manager was amazing. She was very prompt, very personable and knew a lot about everything on the menu.
Thankfully breakfast was, in my opinion considerably more enjoyable. Maybe it was the fact there was no additional charge but I can honestly say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ever the blogger, of course I had to get avocado toast. It was served with poached eggs on english breakfast muffins with a small scattering of tomato. Was the tomato necessary? No it was not, however I won't complain because overall it was very enjoyable.
They also had a range of croissants and breads and cereals and the likes as part of a buffet breakfast.
Overall I really enjoyed my stay. In a way I wish it had been longer to give us more of a chance to explore the surrounding areas however what I saw I loved. If I return I'm not sure I'd go back to eat dinner at the restaurant which is a shame however I'm sure there are lovely places to eat in the surrounding area.
In general I would highly recommend the hotel and the area but look elsewhere for food. Of course this is my experience and I'm in no way saying that the overall trip wasn't fantastic or the staff at the hotel lax in any way.
