Diners have described this Michelin-starred spot as offering “a top gastronomic experience”, backed up by one of “the most extensive and detailed wine lists”.
A gorgeous Michelin-starred restaurant offering “a top gastronomic experience” has been named among the top 100 restaurants in the UK. The trip to Hambleton Hall on Ketton Road in Oakham, Rutland, takes about 50 minutes from Huntingdon or one hour and 15 minutes from Cambridge.
As Harden’s and its one Michelin star suggest, the dining experience at Hambleton Hall is worth the journey. The restaurant achieved 35th position in Harden’s 100 best UK restaurants, which are chosen based on a total of 30,000 reports from a survey of 2,500 diners.
The diners at this majestic 19th century hall rated food a ‘very good’ four out of five, on average. The service and ambiance gained perfect five scores, making them ‘exceptional’.
One customer said the restaurant “never fails but to deliver a top gastronomic experience”. Another described one of “the most extensive and detailed wine lists”.
According to the Michelin Guide, this wine list is 400-strong. Tim and Steffa Hart have owned the grand old house since 1979, and Chef Aaron Patterson has been in position since 1992.
He has built a restaurant that celebrates tradition, with two diners who contributed to Harden’s report describing an “old-fashioned” feel. One elaborated: “In some ways it’s rather old-fashioned, but that’s intended as a compliment – it’s a return to a more formal style that makes dining seem special.”
Harden’s has calculated the average price of a meal here to be £179, based on a three-course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service, and VAT. The sample dinner menu includes dishes created around a roast loin of Launde Farm lamb and roast Merryfield Farm duck, at a cost of £135 per person for three courses.
The sample lunch menu, with options like pan fried fillet of sea bream with tomato and artichoke risotto, and bouillabaisse sauce, includes a cost of £58 for two courses and £15 for desserts.
