'I stayed at the hotel named best in England and was shocked by its star rating'
The expectations are high when arriving at a hotel that has been named the best in England.
Earlier this year, the Mallory Court Country House Hotel and Spa was crowned the best large hotel by a panel of VisitEngland judges, who fell in love with the Warwickshire manor.
The experts heaped praise on Mallory Court, describing it as providing 'a serene base 'set within 10 acres of landscaped gardens, crammed full of all the modern amenities and luxury trimmings you could possibly want.
What's more, the hotel was recently described as being an absolute bargain, with one reviewer noting that the price of a room for the night is half that of a similar country house. So, a lot to live up to.
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We wandered around the gardens, and General Manager Josefine Blomqvist told us that Mallory Court is working to become more sustainable by growing its own produce—and the bees that buzz around the garden are part of that effort.
After getting ready for dinner, we headed to the lovely garden area and drank a glass of champagne as we enjoyed the stunning views. It felt like I'd stepped straight into an episode of Bridgerton, pretending that I was the lady of the manor. Once we'd enjoyed some olives and salted beans with our drink, we were taken through into the dining area.
My partner and I opted for the tasting menu curated by MasterChef winner Stu Deeley. I hadn't indulged in a tasting menu for quite some time, so this was an exciting fine-dining experience. Plus, the sommelier went to great lengths to find the perfect bottle of wine for us to share as we dined. We opted for a Chinon Blanc Les Bondonnières Couly-Dutheil 2023, and it complemented each course perfectly. It was crisp but not too sweet—I'd definitely buy a bottle to enjoy at home.
We started with canapés and an amuse-bouche, one of which was the most melt-in-the-mouth goat cheese I have ever tasted. This was followed by a malted loaf from Silvertree Bakery with estate dairy cultured butter, burrata with pea and mint gazpacho and artichoke, a crispy Burford Brown egg, barbecued leek and warm tartare sauce, Cornish monkfish, borlotti bean cassoulet, baby courgette, brown shrimps, Espelette and nduja sauce, and finally the Oxfordshire hogget with potato terrine, French beans, and salsa verde.
The meal delivered flavour sensations like I've never experienced before, especially the warm tartare sauce. It was unusual, but divine. The final part of the meal was, of course, dessert. The chocolate fondant tart was incredibly luxurious, with the mint ice cream providing a somewhat nostalgic taste. It reminded me of being a child and smelling mint in my mum's garden—so it was not only delicious but also evoked lovely memories.
We finished off with some warm madeleines, a welcome way to round off the meal perfectly. We dined for three and a half hours, laughing and joking with our lovely waitress all night long, and left very satisfied.
Upon returning to the room, we were thrilled to see it had been turned down for the evening: the curtains were drawn, the fan turned back on, and we'd been left a gorgeous little jar of honey from the Mallory Bees. This was a lovely touch, given to guests for special occasions. I can confirm—it's one of the nicest honeys I've ever tasted.
We got ready for bed, and I had a perfect night's sleep. I didn't even stir once, which, in the heat we were experiencing, was a surprise. The bed wasn't too soft nor too firm—a real Goldilocks bed, if you will.
The morning after, I made full use of the garden and went outside to read before getting ready for the day, while my partner made use of the spa facilities. He used the indoor and outdoor pools, and I went to have a nosy—they were immaculately clean and lovely. We headed to breakfast, where I enjoyed eggs royale and my partner had a full English. We also had orange juice and coffee. Again, the staff were lovely and welcoming and truly couldn't do enough for us. Afterwards, we wandered past our private garden and into the hotel grounds, exploring the nooks and crannies. It's like a magical fairy world.
I can truly appreciate why this hotel won Large Hotel of the Year at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025. My only query is: why on earth isn't this hotel five-star? Because it more than deserves to be. It's undeniably the nicest place I've stayed in this country—and I've been to some seriously fancy hotels. But Mallory Court is magical.
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