Top five romantic gastro getaways

For food lovers, the ultimate Valentine's Day gift is a romantic gastro getaway. Priscilla Pollara reviews the top five in Britain.

Here at lovefood.com, we know that the ultimate Valentine's Day gift for all food-lovers is a romantic gastro getaway. Here are five worth investigating:

A romantic city break

The Mandarin Oriental (pictured above) is London’s most grand and luxurious hotel. It oozes opulence and elegance and is the perfect place  for a glamorously romantic gastro getaway. 

Gastro Factor:

Heston Blumenthal – creator of wacky dishes such as snail  porridge and bacon ice cream –recently opened Dinner at the  Mandarin Oriental. You would be one of the first in the country  to enjoy the fusion of traditional British recipes with Heston’s  entrepreneurial, personal flair.

Some examples from the menu:

- Salamagundy c.1720 - an early salad dish of cooked meats, vegetables and fruits

- Rice and flesh c.1390 - a rice-based plate which comes complete with calf tail, red wine and saffron

- Meat Fruit c.1500 - a plate consisting of grilled bread, mandarins and chicken liver parfait.

Seduction Factor:

The harmonious Urban Day spa at the Mandarin is a heavenly world away from the cacophonous streets of central London. Treat a loved one to its most popular treatment, the Personalised Ocean and Earth Wrap (1hr 50 min at £125).

Cost:

The 'Suite Gourmet' package starts at £1,750 and includes accommodation for two in a Deluxe Park Suite, breakfast in the hotel’s other eaterie Bar Boulud and a reservation for two at Dinner. (Oh and a signed Blumenthal cookbook, too). 

Chocoholics’ heaven

In the more swanky quarter of Bournemouth, the inconspicuous, Grade II listed Chocolate Boutique Hotel hides a great secret.  Inside its white-washed exterior, this cosy place is entirely themed with the most potent of aphrodisiacs: chocolate.

There is no getting away from it (chocolates are hidden in all corners of guests’ rooms), so for once, leave inhibitions at the door and enjoy a guiltless indulgence.  

Gastro Factor:

With the expert guidance of the in-house chocolatier, guests can take part in a 2.5 hour class, learning to make Belgian truffles. You will get to cut, powder, melt and shape chocolate, leaving with your own hand-made 1kg of truffles, and an accompanying bottle of Cava. 

Seduction Factor:

Included in the Valentine’s Special is a luxurious night for two in a glorious chocolate-themed room, where you’ll be greeted with a cold bottle of bubbly and a cascading chocolate fountain complete with succulent strawberries and luscious marshmallows.
Later you’ll be able to sip deliciously decadent chocolate cocktails such as the Chocolate Martini in the Chocolate Bar.

Cost:

£300 for a couple for a 1 night stay and 2 places on the Valentine’s Special Chocolate Workshop.

Golf lovers’ paradise

Couples looking for a sporty gastro getaway may enjoy Greywalls Hotel.  The grand Edwardian house in Edinburgh is a tranquil rural retreat that sits on the Muirfield golf course (where The Open Championship will return in 2013).

From any of the twenty-three bedrooms, there are remarkable views of the pristinely-kept grass course - earning the hotel the mantra of being 'a golfer's paradise'. 

Gastro Factor:

It’s not just about the golf. Greywalls is also the home to renowned Le Gavroche chef Albert Roux's 'Chez Roux', the French restaurant which opened to great acclaim last Summer.

Overlooking the 10th hole on Muirfield, diners will undoubtedly enjoy Roux’s delectable fusion of local Scottish produce and his incomparable French culinary masterstroke. Top dishes? Pan fried locally-caught North Sea Halibut and Albert Roux’s very own Caramelised Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbet and his much-ordered entrée, ‘Souffle Suissesse’. 

Seduction Factor:

Along with the romantic walks available along the weather-torn Scottish coastline, take to the greens where champion golfers have tread and indulge in a spot of Golf. £75 a session. 

Cost:

Starting from £345 a night for a couple - Dinner, bed and breakfast with a bottle of Albert Roux champagne in your room on arrival.    

A charming countryside retreat

Tucked away in the confines of Suffolk countryside is Westleton Crown, a quaint 34 room country pub and hotel which sits between the pretty towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh on the coast.

Feast on AA 2 Rosette food in a romantic dining room with log fires, low wooden beams and traditional oak-wood furniture. 

Gastro Factor: 

This Valentine’s Day, head chef Richard Bargewell is cooking up a selection of locally-sourced dishes: steamed poppy seed pancake of wild mushrooms, grilled fillet of sea bass with saffron linguni, slow-cooked confit duck leg or roast lump of lamb with rosti potatoes. To finish? Try the chocolate fondant dish, a pudding made to share.

Westleton are happy to give away their recipes. Post-meal, ask the head waiter for the details, instructions and tips and you can recreate your own slice of Suffolk back at home.

Seduction Factor:

Rural Westleton is a stone’s throw (a refreshing seven mile walk to wet the whistle) from seaside town of Southwold, where couples will find the award-winning Adnams brewery (voted last year as Brewery of the Year 2010). Take a tour (£10) and then take a sip of the ever-popular, local Southwold Bitter. Or perhaps some of Adnams’ gin and vodka. 

Cost:

 The Valentine’s Package comprises of one night’s stay, dinner in the award-winning restaurant and a full English breakfast for £150 per couple.

Boisterous revelry in the Highlands 

Hate the commercial hype of Valentine’s Day? Avoid the hype and book a whisky tasting weekend at the Glenmorangie House Hotel in March instead.

The elegant Highland home, on the peaceful Ross-shire peninsula, Glenmorangie – which in Gaelic means ‘tranquil Glen’ – holds only one of 9 Scottish Michelin Hotel ‘Red House’ symbols, and is of course the birthplace of the eponymous single malt whisky. 

Gastro Factor: 

You can tour the famous Glenmorangie Distillery (founded in 1843) and hear experts talk through the understanding and logics behind the production, maturation and tasting of the tipple.

Then attend the House’s black tie Gala Scottish dinner, where a night of boisterous revelry, mixed with energetic ceilidh dancing, will undoubtedly bring much traditional Scottish cheer to all – especially after a competitive bout of blind whisky tasting! 

Seduction Factor:

Drinking needn’t fill all your time at Glenmorangie. Take advantage of the beautiful Lochs, rivers and grasslands of the Scottish Highlands by enjoying some outdoor pursuits. Walk, pony-ride or learn how to clay pigeon shoot.  

Cost:

£835 for two sharing a two-night stay, including a Distillery tour, entry to the Gala Dinner, two breakfasts, whisky tutoring and an in-depth tour of Tarlogie Springs.

Also worth your attention:

Heston, Gordon & Jamie start a fish fight with Hugh

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Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens’ recipe for pan fried sea bass with a herby butter sauce