There should be a lot to like about Chewton Glen. A 5-star hotel dominated by an 18th-century manor set in 130 acres of impressive grounds on the coastal side of the New Forest. The main room where guests dine is beautiful too – light-filled and spacious with a pleasant hum of atmosphere. Although a lovely experience, neither the food nor the service quite hit London standards – a curse that so often afflicts posh country hotels.
Read Chewton Glen’s website and it promises “fine dining at its finest.” A bold claim at the best of times. And one gushing review in Tatler (potentially a puff-piece) does not automatically confer the status of excellence. Follow the Michelin stars – or lack of, in the case of Chewton Glen – to get a more accurate picture.
Your reviewer does acknowledge that he has high standards, but a litany of schoolchild fails stands out. If your experience is billed as ‘fine’ and guests opt for the tasting menu – as we did – then it’s almost obligatory to begin with some form of amuse-bouche. It doesn’t even need to be extravagant, but a little sample of soup or a small tart provides a welcome, a tantalising hint of more exciting things to come. Chewton Glen didn’t get the message. Instead, our first dish arrived even before our glass of accompanying champagne. Phasing between dishes throughout the evening was inconsistent. Bread plates were never graced with any product. Did the servers simply forget, or if you don’t offer bread, then why have these plates crowding the table unnecessarily? We had to refill our own water glasses from the bottle on the table. Elsewhere, a dirty piece of cutlery went both unnoticed and unreplaced.
To be clear, none of this specifically detracted from the experience. It’s just that Chewton Glen would have been even better had they not made such easy fails. It was hard to fault the enthusiasm of our servers and the Head Sommelier deserves special plaudits for both his attentiveness and wine selections, which went above and beyond the call of duty. Tasting Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle champagne, a 2016 Tuscan Solaia and a 1989 Gewurztraminer from Zind-Humbrecht (among others) were truly special opportunities. These are the sort of things that endure in the memory far more than a dirty fork.
And the food? It was good, but by no means outstanding. Both your reviewer and his vegetarian dining comrade began with the same first dish: a buffalo burrata paired with local Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes. This should be low-hanging fruit. Simple dish, high-quality ingredients. Somehow, Chewton Glen screwed it up though, and we were both of the opinion that produce in our local greengrocer was arguably better. Fortunately, things did improve. My tuna tataki and roast rack of lamb were both excellent and my comrade rated her artichoke and summer truffle salad as well as a mizo-glazed aubergine dish. New Forest strawberries with basil sorbet, worked as a wonderful palate-cleanser, we both agreed. Visit if you’re in the area, then. Come though with appropriately calibrated expectations.