Next up in the UK Foodie’s Restaurant Tour is the Michelin-starred Peel’s Restaurant. Located in Hampton Manor, in Hampton-in-Arden, this restaurant is probably one of the most beautiful settings you can imagine. (Full Disclosure: Hampton Manor was my wedding venue!)
About a 5-10 minute drive from Birmingham international airport, this is a beautifully restored manor house. The gardens, the house itself, everything feels like Downton Abbey (which also happens to be my favorite show)! The current owners took over operations a few years ago and have worked wonders with their renovations. A family story that began in a 400 year old pub, three generations of the Hill family have been shaping this estate’s future since 1986.
“Our house is full of history. Like our food, we honour our classical foundations. Today, we’re reimagining our country estate to build a new heritage. Respect for the past, creativity for the now.” – Hampton Manor as a House of Memories
The interior design is as lovely as the exterior – they’ve recently refurbished their lobby and reception area (see Hampton Manor’s photos above) and each of their 15 bedrooms are plush, cozy, individually designed and named after someone who once owned our estate, from queens to musicians. You can browse their full range of bedrooms from luxurious suites, gorgeous feature rooms and cozy doubles here with a few snapshots to give you a taste below.
And while I would highly recommend booking a room in one of their feature rooms during your visit, let’s get down to business and talk about their FOOD.
As Hampton Manor refers to itself as a “Restaurant with Rooms”, their restaurant is the star of the show, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t also want you to experience the best of what the manor has to offer.
“Dinner at our house is more than just a seat at the table. It’s an invitation to settle in for the evening. Come early to sample something new at the Maker’s Table. Then unwind in the Parlour with a drink in hand. Pick a sofa and we’ll bring chef’s snacks to you before we take you through for the main event. After dinner let the evening linger fireside with a nightcap in Fred’s Bar, the cosiest room in the house.”
Peel’s Restaurant got its first Michelin star in 2016 and has held onto it ever since. They also have fourth AA Rosette, another scheme of celebrating the top restaurants in the UK where only 10 restaurants in the UK were given 4 Rosettes in 2017. The exact AA definition of 4 Rosettes – “Among the top restaurants in the UK, where the cooking demands national recognition. These restaurants exhibit intense ambition, a passion for excellence, superb technical skills, and remarkable consistency. They will combine appreciation of culinary traditions with a passionate desire for further exploration and improvement. There are very few restaurants with four AA Rosettes.” Little known fact for any of you who visit the UK, Birmingham has the 2nd most starred restaurants outside of London. So it is well worth traveling north and visiting central England!
Our dining experience at Peel’s Restaurant was actually a gift. A very generous and thoughtful Christmas gift from our beloved parents who knew how much it would mean to us to be treated to a dining experience at Peel’s before the restaurant closed for the holiday period.
Only a few days after our arrival in the UK, we were still a bit groggy from jet lag, but ready to make the most of our experience! Arriving about 15 minutes before our dinner reservation, we were welcomed into their Parlour Room for pre-dinner cocktails and a personal introduction of Hampton Manor by the owner and Creative Director, Fjona Hill. Having met Fjona before, it was so meaningful to be welcomed by her, someone who exudes so much warmth and charisma.
Hampton Manor’s Reception Lounge
Where Contemporary Meets Cozy
Stunning Staircase that leads up to their Bedrooms
Pretty Parlour Room for Pre-Dinner Cocktails
With Christmas Decorations to Set the Mood
Beverage Menu Highlights a Range of Infused G&T’s
Red Gimlet with Reyka Vodka, Sloe Liqueur, Red Vermouth, Blackberries & Walnut Oil (£10)
Acid Plum with Hendricks, Acid Plum, Umeshu & Egg White (£10)
Sipping on our delicious craft cocktails, another server came to introduce our menu options. Peel’s currently offer 3 different set menus – 2 menus that are four-courses (£70) and 1 menu that is 7-courses (£85). Knowing that we’d share bites of each course, we confirmed that we’d like one each of the two menus with four courses and 1 Drinks Flight (£50) and were escorted to the main dining room.
Set Menu Options: 4-courses or 7-courses
Peel’s is quite understated compared to the rest of the manor at first glance. You won’t find anything flashy, but it is elegant and comfortable. And if you look closely, there is a glimmer – the wall paper has beautiful peacocks with golden embroidery and with each of the tables quite far apart, you really feel spoiled for space even though the dining area is actually quite small.
(L to R): Salted Cod on Tapioca Crisp, Cheese Custard & Pickled Onion, Venison Tartare
Shortly after being seated, we were served a trio of complex canapés, each one completely unique with its own blend of textures and flavor profiles.
Of these, the tapioca crisp had an amazing texture and was the mostly striking in presentation, but winning in taste was the cheese custard with pickled onion. Just a classic combination executed with a modern twist.
Amazing First Impressions with their Amuse Bouche
You know you’re in for a treat when a restaurant’s amuse bouche really takes you by surprise. Though served in a modest portion in a small bowl, the flavors were anything but modest. The potato mousse, leek oil and puffed potato were a savoury celebration on my taste buds.
Leek and potato soup is an English stalwart ever since Sir Francis Drake brought back the potato from the Americas. This dish was just fabulous and really demonstrates that you needn’t purchase truffles or other expensive ingredients in order to create a masterpiece.
Bread with Butter & Wagyu Dripping
I don’t normally comment on the bread, and truth be told, I won’t really here either. While the bread was something we have come to appreciate more living in China (there is a serious lack of good bread in this country), I also recognize that good bread is rather commonplace in Europe.
But no, the star of this portion of the post is dedicated to the wagyu dripping which accompanied the bread. It’s funny they even bother to bring out butter. Who, in their right mind, would choose ordinary butter over the most heavenly smooth, rich, satisfying spread ever made?
What I would do for this to be available in the supermarket. And yes, of course I asked our server without restraint- is this something I can purchase separately to be taken home so that we can share this pure spreading pleasure with our loved ones? The heartbreaking answer is no, because the wagyu dripping doesn’t keep unless you eat it straight away. I told them that if they could figure out a way, I’d be their first customer. Unbelievably good, this is hands down the most moreish spread I have ever eaten. It has the power to make any bread taste heavenly, and we had to be careful not to get carried away and fill up too quickly on mouthfuls of wagyu dripping.
First Course (for all menus): Beetroot with Bosworth Ash & Rye
Onto the actual dishes, the beetroot with goat cheese ice cream was the first course listed for all three set menus. Clearly a dish they knew would make a stand-out impression. Probably the best indication of this dish doing just that is that one of our party who doesn’t particularly even like beetroot, said it was a meal highlight. The beetroot itself was presented in so many forms from pickled to puree, the goat cheese ice cream is refreshing alongside the root vegetable.
2nd Course: Middle White Pork with Onion Broth
2nd Course: Crab XO with Brown Shrimp & Coriander
While the crab wins in presentation, I must admit that the XO mayo overwhelmed the dish and was rather cloying.
The pork with broth, on the other hand, blew us away. Brilliantly tender dices of pork that was balanced by the acidic, pickled onions, this dish was superb.
Main: Wagyu Beef with Celeriac, Black Garlic & Parsley
Earlier in this post, I moaned about the lack of good bread in China, and many here do the same about other ingredients. But here at Peel’s, I got to see the counterpoint in the Wagyu they served.
The celeriac and black garlic were lovely flavours and the juice was great. The steak itself was what let the dish down. This was not a prime cut of wagyu and was rather tough and chewy. Clearly, living in close proximity to Japan means we get access to some much better offerings of wagyu in China. While “wagyu” is sure to be desired worldwide for its legendary marbling, it didn’t seem to be the case here. Actually, Britain has a fantastic supply of quality beef so Peel’s should just stick to prime cuts of British beef over wagyu.
Main: Monkfish with Salsify, Barbecue Sauce, Lemon
The monkfish was redeeming and a very soft and tender with a beautiful sauce. It was definitely of the level of quality you’d expect from a restaurant that has gotten a star + four rosettes.
Palate Cleanser: Passionfruit, Vanilla & Caramel
For the palate cleanser, we were each served a small dish of passionfruit, vanilla buttermilk and caramel. Sweet and tart, this was an excellent and effective palate cleanser!
Dessert Wine (Part of the Drinks Flight)
Dessert: Chocolate, Sherry, Vanilla
The chocolate dessert was lovely, though it lacks a little something to make it more memorable.
Dessert: Parsnip Cake with Whisky, Raisin, Brown Butter
And, while you may be thinking, parsnip? As a dessert? This works really well. Just think of how a moist cut of carrot cake! But if you don’t like carrot cake, then you probably would feel similarly to this parsnip version. With the whiskey caramel, this dessert felt Christmasy and I savored every last bite. While it may not be for everyone, it was a dessert that I particularly enjoyed!
Petit Fours: Deconstructed Mince Pie
The petit fours also deserve a quick mention – as it was Christmas time when we went, these were a deconstructed mince pie. For those who don’t know, mince pies are a staple in the UK at Christmas and despite the name, don’t contain meat, but minced dried fruit. A really interesting and clever ending to the meal.
Peel’s is not going to be on your route if you choose a traditional tour through the UK, but I would highly recommend a visit if you are passing through Birmingham.
Everything about our experience was very homely and personal. The sommelier gave us vivid descriptions of the wine pairings and shared animated stories of the small winemakers and their vineyards (championing English and Welsh wines). The food is local, thoughtful and gorgeous in presentation and the entire setting is like a modern fairytale.
Peel’s Restaurant in Hampton Manor Contact Details:
- Address: Hampton Manor, Shadowbrook Lane, Hampton-In-Arden B92 0EN
- Tel: 01675 446 080
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://hamptonmanor.com
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
