David and Anette Taylor have had a busy five years. They got married, relocated from Norway to England, had two children, launched a brand new restaurant with rooms, and won a Michelin star within the first 12 months of opening. As five-year plans go, it’s a doozy.
It makes me tired just thinking about it, but David is looking remarkably fresh faced for a person with so much on his plate.
Now, I should point out, I’m not getting to meet the 35-year-old chef director of this restaurant because I’m a journalist. This courtesy is part of the wider Grace & Savour experience: if you book one of the five garden rooms, you’re not just coming for dinner, you’re getting a 360-degree 24-hour culinary experience.
It begins with a delicious snack and choice of welcome drink from local suppliers – and they don’t come more local than a small-batch handmade vermouth incorporating botanicals from the restaurant’s own garden. Mixed with Navas tonic, it’s a refreshing livener before you begin the tour.
Grace & Savour is part of Hampton Manor, the former estate of British prime minister Sir Robert Peel. The walled garden at its heart dates back to 1891, and was a labour of love for his son, Sir Fredrick.
It’s now the source and inspiration for much of Grace & Savour’s epic 15-course tasting menu. David talks with genuine passion about the importance of sustainability and biodynamism. For example, the garden benefits from mixed cropping – where multiple plants are simultaneously in the same areas. Since crops ripen during different seasons, planting more than one saves space and also provides a wealth of environmental benefits including maintaining a balance of input and outgo of soil nutrients. Ultimately, the end result is not only more nutrient-rich food, but more flavour on the plate.
Mark Hedley
Mark Hedley
David and Anette spent 12 months prior to opening visiting a range of farmers and fishermen across the UK, finding businesses that are working sensitively in their environments, using a range of practices including re-wilding, diversification, agroforestry, and biodynamic farming.
On the day we visit, David tells us the fishermen from the small boat collective Sole of Discretion they work with didn’t have any luck line-catching the pollack he was planning to use for one of the courses. Rather than electing for trawler catch from elsewhere, he swaps out the dish entirely.
Even the crockery, carefully crafted by ceramicist Sarah Jerath and other local craftspeople, has been made using clay from the estate. The idea of recycling, rejuvenation and regeneration is a prevalent theme throughout.
After the tour, you have time to enjoy the grounds – there are 45 acres to explore and you’ll find a field guide in your room. Wellies are also available in case you forgot to pack yours. Or head back to your room – all five overlook the estate’s original kitchen garden – and take a long soak with specially made bath salts from skincare brand, Harvest.
Relaxed and rejuvenated (see – told you it was a theme), it’s time for the main event. A drinks menu simply entitled ‘Before’ sits on the desk in your bedroom, so you can figure out your aperitif before you even land in the lounge area.
For the meal itself, there are two wine pairings available – classic and adventurous – the latter going off the beaten track and dipping into wild ferments and natural wines. If you’re there as a couple, I’d recommend you do both and then you can mix and match. A particular highlight of the ‘Adventure’ pairing was Deya’s Leckhampton Hill, a mixed-fermentation ale which enjoys a year in red wine casks and then bottle aged for a year. It was an effervescent elderflower-infused accompaniment to the snacks, which included beetroot cooked in beef fat served with charred garlic emulsion on top of crisp deep-fried sourdough.
Leftover sourdough from the bread course is also repurposed to make a miso-broth dipping sauce to enjoy with fresh asparagus and thyme flower.
You’ll sit facing the open pass – either at tables angled toward it or at the counter. After you’ve strolled through five delicious snack courses, a warm flannel infused with lavender and rosemary oil is proffered to help you refresh and reset before the mains.
A single organic chicken raviolo served with Berkswell ewe's milk cheese and wild garlic is one of the best dishes I’ve had the pleasure to eat. Served alongside a premier cru chablis from Vaucoupin, it is simply sublime.
Next up, regeneratively hand-dived scallops are cooked with a lacto-fermented honey glaze in the shell on the barbecue to help retain moisture before being served with a broth of roasted mussel and parcel oil. It’s finished off with dried roe shavings for added crisp. It’s just such clever cooking – bringing so many elements together in harmony.
At the end of the meal, you’re presented with the full menu which includes the names of the principle suppliers, too. For example, I learnt the scallops were caught by Frazer Pugh and the ewe’s milk used for the sorbet came from Ram Hall Farm. There are also in-depth profiles online for all the winemakers who have been hand chosen to fit with the restaurant’s ethos.
All this goodness is enough to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Indeed, to capture the overall experience – including the beautiful bedrooms and multi-course breakfast – I need to borrow from Scandinavia for the apt term: hygge.
This quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality is constant at Grace & Savour. The balance between the hosts’ British and Norwegian heritage comes across in everything from the design to the dishes. It’s the best of both worlds – and it’s all about doing the best for our world, too. It really is a whole load of wholesome.
The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner, and lunch on Saturday only. Non-residents can book the restaurant with the tasting menu, priced from £135. The lunch menu is priced at £90pp for eight-courses. hamptonmanor.com
