The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green Oxfordshire Review
The Manor
Oxfordshire
Reviewed by Meresa Bergin
I was asked to review The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green on the 20th of July 2015, which happened to be my birthday so I was very much looking forward to it. We drove from Brighton which took us around 90 minutes, we did stop off somewhere beforehand. The Manor is also a 90 minute drive from Gatwick and 60 minutes from Heathrow making it an ideal place to stay for those using the airports. It also hosts many functions and could be used for business meetings.
The Manor House and Gardens
The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green is in beautiful land located in a delightful village in Oxfordshire with many attractions close by such as Bicester village shopping, Blenhiem Palace and Kirtlington Park Polo Club, also as mentioned the airports.
The Manor House is stunning on its approach with a field of sheep to the right as you enter. The house has an elegant and classic feel on first impressions. I had chosen to take my husband with me to review The Manor and I think he was very pleased when he saw how beautiful it was. I loved the driveway with the sheep sculptures, as sheep are by far my favourite animal. The Manor is in keeping with the time period it was built as well as having the modern amenities you would expect. I adored all the art on the walls, I felt The Manor was very similar to the many National Trust houses I have visited and you could easily spend a day exploring it.
On entering we were greeted at the front desk, asked how we were whilst being checked in and offered a glass of bubbly which as it was my birthday was an extra treat. Sitting on one of the plush sofas in reception as we drank was heaven. I loved the old fireplace and fittings and there are magazines and newspapers on supply for you to read. I noticed the bar and I enjoyed the signs attached for you to read more about The Manor.
We were shown The Snug, which is a cosy area for you to unwind on an evening maybe after a few drinks in the bar or for a quiet moment to yourself, the room is also used for meetings and was likely, back when The Manor was used as a home, one of the living room areas to enjoy a port at night, so it is very fitting.
The Manor House has many areas within it including:
A beautiful Morning Room where one can enjoy breakfast, it has stunning large windows which look out over the lawns and gardens, it is bright and welcoming with a large amount of space for tables.
Baron’s Hall is a grand and elegant room for dinning in, it used to be the House’s Chapel and has been carefully restored to keep in fitting with beautiful glass windows and oak-panelling and can be dated back to the 11th century.
Above Baron’s Hall is Minsters Gallery which can be used for exclusive dinning for parties up to 10. It has a five course tasting menu and also offers Sunday lunch, it can be hired out for weddings and the menus can be booked to suit. I thought the room was stunning, I adore chapels and I simply love when they are used well and kept in fitting with the original building, this one offers so much charm.
The Manor also has its own bar, we did not visit this on our trip but it looked outstanding from the views I saw from reception and is very useful for guests who do not wish to leave the house and offers bar food if you don’t wish to eat in the Hall.
A few minutes walk from the house is a traditional country pub that the house owns which is also open to non-residential guests. We did not visit but it looked beautiful from outside as we drove past and we would be eager to try it out if we have the chance to return.
The gardens are outstanding with lots to explore and areas to keep the children busy. It boasts an outdoor heated swimming pool in a secluded and closed off area of the garden for some pampering or a swim, tennis courts, some lawn games and lots of beautiful areas to walk around and some deck chairs near the tennis courts if you wish to lay back and watch, which I enjoyed. The lawns and gardens are well kept and the flowers were gorgeous to smell and to look at, there were plenty of places to sit and relax. You can tell the gardeners take pride in what they do and maintain it to the highest of standards all throughout the grounds, it really adds to the sense of luxury of the house. We had a walk in the gardens after dinner and I thought it was so beautiful and special as the sun went down, the sky was so stunning as a backdrop against the house, we also saw some baby rabbits running through the gardens which really made our night.
Our room was so special and indulgent, a perfect place to spend a birthday or even a wedding night which The Manor often plays host to, I wish I had known about it when I had been booking my own!
I loved the beams above the bed and whilst the room was slightly on the small side there was plenty of room for both of us. The room leads onto an en-suite bathroom which was very bright and clean with a very appealing bathtub. My favourite part of the room by far was the view into the garden, our room was on the top floor so had an outstanding view, the windows opened wide so you truly felt part of it. The room had all the things you would expect such as a hairdryer, a fan for the hot weather, tea and coffee and toiletries, I loved the dressing gowns which were so comfy!
This Manor House is so very special, I loved the stairways with photographs of how the house originally looked and many of the fittings just added to its charm, I truly could have spent a day exploring it and I imagine children would find it delightful. The guests I met on my visit seemed equally charmed by its appeal.
Food and Service
We were fortunate to be asked to dine in Baron’s Hall, I loved the lit candles as you walked there I felt this was very special and given an importance to the occasion. On entering the Hall it has been set for dinner and was truly beautiful with small lamps and candles decorating the tables, which coupled with the beautiful windows showing the early evening sun, was breath-taking.
Our waiter seated us and asked how we were, showing a real interest in why we were there and if it was a special occasion. He then handed us the menu and brought some delicious bread and water to enjoy as we made our choices.
I ordered Heirloom Tomato Salad with black olives, goat’s curd and basil oil (£7.95) and my husband decided on Seared Scallops with mango glass, avocado purée and micro coriander (£11.95). We were offered more bread as we waited and given the wine list, I explained neither of us drank wine and the waiter went to get the bar drinks menu, I ordered a Ginger Beer and my husband had a Coke.
I was very impressed with the appearance of our starters, they were what you would expect for dinning in such an elegant place and the taste was out of this world, I loved the olive purée the chef had made which really complimented the tangy taste of the goat’s curd. My husband was equally impressed with his Scallops which were well cooked and not tough like you sometimes can find when cooking them, he adored the mango glass.
For our mains I ordered Baked Turbot with garden pea nage, saffron, lemon thyme and chargrilled tiger prawns (£26.96) which sounded like heaven and my husband had Braised Vietnamese Duck Leg with wilted greens and crispy pancetta (£19.50). We enjoyed looking out the window into the garden as we waited and as the light outside began to drop the room took on a truly romantic feel with the lit candles and lamps.
Again I was very impressed with the appearance of our meals and the portions were a good size, the sea turbot melted in your mouth and the sauce was divine, I loved the peas which had a nice crunch. The prawns were cooked well I was slightly put off by the heads but my husband dealt with this for me. He was very pleased with his main and commented on the size and quality of the duck and he loved the sauce it was cooked in, the crispy pancetta was a big hit and really added a twist to the dish. Finishing our meals I wasn’t sure if I could manage a dessert but I ordered a Chocolate Truffle and Stem Ginger Cake with Raspberry ice cream £7.50 and my husband had a Chocolate Pud with Chantilly cream and salted peanut butter brittle £8.50 as we waited my husband commented how beautiful the room would look with the fire lit at Christmas, it would be truly magical I think, especially for young children.
The desserts were beautifully presented yet again, I did sadly find my cake slightly rich and was unable to eat much of it but it was very well made and a special treat, my husband adored his chocolate pud in a little jar which I thought was a clever idea, I had a little taste and had to agree it was gorgeous.
I was very impressed with the meals and the quality of them, I do think they are slightly high in price but I feel for the setting and getting to eat in such a beautiful room they are worth it. You can of course eat in the bar or the pub if you prefer and the waiter did tell us the food there was very good and offered choices for children.
The next morning, after a very comfortable night’s sleep, we had breakfast in the Morning Room which I thought was a stunning room and I could see it being used for weddings as it is so bright and open. I did find it slightly hot but the waiter opened the windows which really helped. On the table were cereals, pastries, ham, cheese and juices to have as you waited for a cooked breakfast if you wished. The waiter asked what we would like I decided to have a Vegetarian Breakfast and my husband had a Full English, I was told they had some fruit tea and they would go to check which kind and I was brought some back to the table for me, I did find this slightly odd as I was told I could choose which one I wanted and it could have been likely I didn’t like the one given.
The food arrived hot and looked wonderful, I thought my husband’s looked a good size and I do think something else could have been added to mine, I had cherry tomatoes, hash browns, eggs and beans whilst my husband had the same with sausages and bacon, the vegetarian is less in price but I did feel a little hungry afterwards but the food was well cooked and my husband adored the sausages.
Throughout our stay the staff were helpful and full of information about The Manor, they all appeared interested and engaged well with us and other guests. I did find at dinner the waiter was returning to our table and to the room a lot to see how we were, which was nice but a little off putting at times when trying to have a meal, I think as there was no one else eating at the time may have added to this. Our waiter was very polite, going out of his way to please and showed outstanding services with other guests. The Chef came out to check our meals were okay which I thought was a lovely touch, my only small niggle was I was not offered a finger bowl for my prawns and I think for the price of the meals and the surroundings this would be expected, my husband’s Coke also had lemon in, I feel he should have been asked if he wanted this.
Staff at reception were polite and eager to please, offering to carry our bags to our room and the car but we had some slight problems. I was asked if I wanted to a newspaper at breakfast when I checked in but the next day I couldn’t find it anywhere and I was overcharged on my drinks receipt which I questioned at reception to be told it was a service charge when I got home and checked again I realised it was not and it took some time to correct this with the hotel.
In conclusion we both think The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green is a very special, elegant and luxury place to stay for a romantic getaway. It is also ideal for people on a stopover for a flight, for business trips and of course for weddings.
Rating: 4/5
For more information or The Manor or to make a booking visit www.themanorweston.com.
The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire, OX25 3QL | 01869 350621
