Win a stay at a luxury riverside hotel
9:05am Tuesday 3rd July 2007 in
Win a luxury stay at the top Buckinghamshire hotel The Compleat Angler. Words by Alice Eaton
WHEN it comes to top riverside locations, The Compleat Angler in Marlow boasts one of the best. Standing in all its glory on the banks of the Thames and just a stone's throw from the town centre, this high class hotel is a favourite for newly weds looking for an idyllic location to celebrate their special day.
One happy couple was doing just that when we checked in for an overnight stay at the hotel, and it certainly seemed to be proving a popular choice with their party; sipping champagne and Pimms on a lawn overlooking the river can never fail to impress.
The hotel is extensive, with 64 en suite rooms, and easily accommodates wedding groups alongside its regular hotel guests. An establishment of some sort (originally an inn consisting of six rooms) has been on this location for decades, passing ownership through the years and is now in the capable hands of the Macdonald Hotels chain.
Its reputation has attracted royalty and celebrities alike, including the late Princess Diana, Omar Sharif, Clint Eastwood and Naomi Campbell and it is easy to see why. Our room had everything: a stunning view of the magnificent Marlow Bridge and All Saints Church on the opposite bank; tasteful furnishings in rich purple velvets and soft greys; flat screen Sky TV, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities; an iron and ironing board (usually lacking in most hotel rooms but, in my opinion, a must-have); the luxury inclusion of a heated bathroom floor and a cute door bell for room service to ring in the early evening to ask if you want your bed turned down.
But what we had really come for was the food. There are two restaurants at The Compleat Angler, both of which have been recently refurbished. Bowaters restaurant offers modern British cuisine in the calm and comfortable surroundings of the riverside terrace. From 3pm to 6pm during weekdays and 3.30pm to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays, you can also indulge in afternoon tea here, with a choice of several varieties of tea, finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones, jam and clotted cream and a range of delicate pastries (19.50 per person).
For a more formal setting, the hotel has just launched the Dean Timpson restaurant. Previously head executive chef at the hotel, Dean has now been given his own restaurant to express his culinary creativity, focusing on "modern British food with a European twist" that combines fresh ingredients with his famed simplicity of style. We are booked in here but, beforehand, decided on a pre-dinner drink to get the evening started.
There are plenty of places to enjoy an aperitif, whether it is on the riverside lawn, in the comfortable lounge area or snuggled into one of the cosy alcoves in the cocktail bar complete with its original 400 year old oak-panelling.
Having taken a leisurely peruse through the menus, we were led through to the restaurant, where we took our seats by the window affording the sights and sounds of the nearby weir. There are two menus to choose from; the signature Gastronome's Tasting Menu which offers seven original courses paired with wine by the glass or an extensive a la carte menu available for lunch and dinner. At lunch time the table d'hote menu offers a choice of three dishes over three courses and on Sundays there is a traditional roast carved from the trolley in front of guests.
We made our choices from the à la carte menu, and I began my meal with a dish of Scottish hand dived scallops with confit of pork belly and pear purée that complemented each other perfectly while my dining partner had a delicious fillet of Cornish red mullet served with parmesan emulsion and a baby leek salad. His dish was a work of art, literally. Served on a chunky rectangular slab, the various colourful sauces that accompanied the meat had been artistically smudged about the plate like oils on an artist's palette. It was almost a shame to eat it, but he did, and enjoyed every mouthful.
To follow, I tucked into perfectly tender roast loin of new season lamb with peas, broad beans and girolle mushrooms. My partner's dish of loin of rabbit and langoustine with a prune purée and hipsy cabbage was simply perfect too.
The service here is second-to-none. As well as being extremely polite and courteous, every member of staff really knows their stuff; recommending particular dishes and skilfully guiding us with our choice of wine. In fact, we opted to let our waiter suggest a glass of wine to complement our individual dishes which proved excellent advice, especially when going from fish to meat dishes (or both at the same time as was our case).
The dessert menu is tempting, offering such sweet delights as tonka bean pannacotta with confit of pear and a coffee sorbet, caramelised bramley apple soufflé with five spice ice cream and a rhubarb crumble tart with black pepper clotted cream ice cream. However, the cheeseboard tempted us, partly because it must have been the largest one I have ever seen. Again, the staff were extremely helpful, patiently describing every cheese and recommending a selection that would suit our tastes, ranging from the deliciously creamy to a pungent offering that, as my dad likes to say, would put hairs back on your chest. Thankfully, it didn't but we were left feeling that we had been treated to a gastronomic journey that would take some beating. Dean already has the coveted three AA rosettes, and is on the hunt for more accolades which surely is only a matter of time.
The hotel runs regular jazz and wine tasting evenings that are combined with a three course dinner, fishing, fly-fishing and bird watching are all available from the Compleat Anglers' resident expert and it even has three boats to hire out (seating six, 12 and 50 people), all helping to set this hotel a cut above the rest.
For more information, call 0870 400 8100 or visit www.compleatangler-hotel.co.uk.
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