With the birth of our baby daughter imminent now, we are making the most of our time together. Over almost a decade together, we’ve been lucky enough to have some incredible adventures. That said, we had always planned on making one last getaway babymoon before the birth of our first child. With the pandemic making that impossible, we were very grateful for an invitation to stay at De Vere’s Tortworth Court for the night.
Located just off the M5, between Bristol and Gloucester, the location worked perfectly for us to break up the journey from London back to Devon. We were also blessed with a little bit of summer weather during our stay. Which made it all the more enjoyable.
All the safety precautions you would now come to expect from a staycation were taken into consideration at Tortworth Court. Key cards disinfected and sealed for us, one way entry, masks indoors, sanitiser stations at regular intervals and hotel rooms cleaned and sealed before our entry.
We arrived early afternoon, checked in and made our way out into the grounds to explore. On the terrace, overlooking the countryside views, tables and chairs were set out under parasols. We claimed a table and ordered some drinks and nibbles.
Vegetable mezze – hummus, olives, balsamic onions, cornichons, house roasted vegetables and pitta bread.
Mac and cheese bites with Bloody Mary Ketchup. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have had the ketchup, but didn’t realise it most probably had alcohol in it at the time… They were delicious though!
After having a long relaxing afternoon chatting on the terrace, people watching and enjoying the sunshine, we popped back to the room to get ready for dinner.
We were staying in a Deluxe Junior Suite room. Spacious, with a gorgeous view over the back of the property, a large bathroom and really comfortable seating area. All soft furnishings have been removed from all rooms for COVID safety, but it actually didn’t impact the feel of the room at all!
Dressed for dinner, we popped back out to get some photos in the gorgeous sunset before it was time to head to the 1853 restaurant.
Dinner was a total knockout. The food and service was perfect.
Starters were Sautéed King Scallops for Ben with a squid Ink cauliflower purée, chorizo, spring salad, peas and cauliflower crisp.
Toasted Plum Tomato and Basil Soup for me with creme fraiche, olive tapenade crostini.
For mains, Ben couldn’t resist the pan roasted breast of duck – its very rare that either of us eat meat other than fish, but we sometimes make an exception for special occasions or when we’re away from home. I didn’t try it but he said it was delicious!
I had the Pan Fried Sustainable Seabass Fillet. A huge portion finished off with young leeks and spinach, white wine and a moules mariniere sauce. Absolutely delicious, but the skin wasn’t as crispy as I would like!
Ben settled on cheese and I had ice cream for pudding.
It’s still such a novelty having someone else cook a meal for us after so long. It’s always a privilege, but especially after the last few years. The evening ended with a beautiful sunset and a full moon over the grounds.
The next morning we had a late breakfast in the 1853 restaurant before a wonderful swim in the hotel pool. Because of COVID the swim sessions are limited to just 30 mins, but actually after doing a few lengths the timing worked well for us. It was really nice to feel a little weightless for a time and float around!
We had a lovely stay at De Vere Tortworth Court. The staff were fabulous and the grounds lovely. It’s a great place for a weekend break, but you definitely need a car to explore the beautiful surrounding area!
