Matfen Hall Review

I arrived at Matfen hall on a bright and sunny Thursday, celebrating my honeymoon. I had heard great things about its Emerald and Cloisters restaurants, as well as their spa, golfing, and garden facilities. I was not disappointed as our upgraded room overlooking the fountain was comfortable, immaculate, and generously filled with complementary champagne and fine chocolates.

Later we dinned at the Cloisters where I had the finest homemade bread and butter, followed by a main course of cauliflower steak and root vegetables. The drink selection was vast with soft drinks, wines and whiskies. On our next evening we dinned at the Emerald where flavours were more experimental and a ride for the pallet. I ordered the Orkney scallop, lamb hogget, and the Yorkshire forced rhubarb. The scallop was plump and lightly charred on one side, paired with diced apple and risotto. The hogget was a little rare for my liking but flavourful. The Yorkshire forced Rhubarb had a deliciously sweet and tangy sauce poured over the cream and white chocolate, with little hints of candied ginger between bites.

On our last day we tried the Keepers restaurant on the golfing grounds. A lovely spot for lunch the menus had a range of different foods from pizzas to burgers, something familiar and filling as opposed to fine dinning. I enjoyed lunch at the keepers, but found a lot of their starters were heavily fried - their mains however, were far more balanced.

Although there was a severe lateness problem with our breakfast on our final day, the staff were accommodating to get our food brought up to us and didn’t charge us for the meal- the type of service and politeness you’d expect of such a grand venue. I recommend going down to the Emerald to eat breakfast fresh and quickly, rather than getting it ordered to the rooms.

I look forward to returning to Matfen hall where I am keen to sample their famous afternoon tea and return to the Cloisters restaurant which I enjoyed the most. Thank you to the Matfen staff for making our honeymoon stay so special, we especially loved the tour of the grounds, the spa facilities, and the charm of playing chess in the snug.

- Author P.R