Autumn Staycations in England and Moroccan Home Cooking

The Foodie Staycation in the heart of England

Hampton Manor combines history and modernity in its 45 acres, in the heart of England. There are 19 individually designed bedrooms with ‘100 Acres’ British luxury bath & bodycare products. The entire house embraces its arts and crafts history with a fresh and modern touch. Hampton Manor is independent and family-run.

With a maximum of 38 overnight residents on the estate at one time, each guest will possess an acre each for three days! Staycation packages are available Wednesday – Friday and Friday – Sunday.

The 2-night/3-day break includes daily dinner, bed and breakfast and a wine tasting on one day. On the first night, guests will dine in the newly launched Smoke located within the grounds amongst the firepits and candlelit greenhouses and on the second night guests dine in the Manor at Michelin-starred Peel’s Restaurant, ensuring social distancing throughout.

Priced from £730 for two nights on a DBB basis, based on two guests.

New Smoke Restaurant (First Evening)  Guests can now dine in or around Smoke – the rustic smokehouse set in the recently unveiled walled garden. To enable social distancing, Hampton Manor have opened up the green houses for candlelight dinners under the vines. All meals served in Smoke are cooked on the wood fired oven.

Michelin-Starred Dining (Second Evening) Peel’s Restaurant won a Michelin-star, Michelin’s Welcome and Service Award, and Four AA-Rosettes within the space of two weeks in 2016. Peel’s is home to simple British dishes cooked using seasonal ingredients and modern cooking techniques under Head Chef Rob Palmer. The wine lists are some of the most exciting in the UK covering the ‘old’ and ‘new’ worlds and recognised by the AA winning AA Wine Award England 2019-20 and AA Wine Award Overall 2019-20. Peel’s has been laid out according to government spacing guidelines between tables.

hamptonmanor.com

York’s only country house hotel is the perfect retreat for a staycation

Middlethorpe Hall is picture-perfect and as York’s only country house hotel, guests are guaranteed an atmosphere that combines the absolute best of York. From highly rated local cuisine to an award-winning garden, this Historic House Hotel is a leading option for staycations throughout the year.

Middlethorpe Hall is set within 20 acres of gardens and parkland, which have been extensively restored and replanted. Guests can follow a special tree trail around the grounds with a copy of their ‘The Gardens and Trees of Interest’ Guide and Map, to identify prize specimens. The Walled Kitchen Garden offers homegrown produce used by the chefs in menus showcasing seasonal dishes.

York’s medieval City Walls, a scheduled ancient monument encircling the historic City of York, are free to access on foot throughout the year. No visit to York would be complete without a walk around the City Walls. At 3.4 kilometres long, the beautifully preserved walls are the longest medieval town walls in England. York’s old City Walls are the most complete in England. They were built mainly in the 13th century on top of older earth banks. There are a few bits of dry moat left around the banks. The slopes are well known for their daffodils in March and April. At other times they are grassy or covered with wildflowers. A walk all round the walls [going up on the wall-walk, or just using the pavement outside them] takes about 2 hours. Covid-19 measures are in place including a one-way system.

middlethorpe.com

Fez Cooking School keeps us cooking online 

Throughout October and live from Fez, Moroccan cuisine is in the spotlight and everyone is invited to experience flavours and techniques guided by a chef. Once guests sign up, they are sent recipes with a list of ingredients and equipment needed ahead of the class. Then a unique zoom meeting id and password are sent so you can connect on the day. For this hour class, guests also meet others who are cooking live from their kitchens around the world. The experience is a wonderful way to enjoy a Moroccan way of life and plan a future trip to Morocco’s foodie city, Fez.

Dishes include Bissara (a Moroccan soup made with dried beans), Moroccan breads, Chicken Pastilla, slow cooked Fish Tajine and Semolina Ghriba for dessert. All recipes are also available online at the Fez Cooking School website.

https://palaisamanifez.as.me/online-cooking-workshops 1 hour priced at €15