Executive Head Chef Chris Hopkins is bringing fresh creativity and contemporary flair to The Bath Priory’s acclaimed restaurant. Melissa Blease discovers a dining experience where elegant surroundings and exceptional cooking go hand in hand.
Regardless of how familiar you may be with the highways and byways that lead in and out of Bath city centre, there’s something magical about the Weston Road stretch on the west side of the city that gives pause for thought… especially at sunset, in autumn.
The day’s last rays of sunshine give acres of historic, honey-hued Bath stone walls a soft, golden glow. A gentle breeze rustles the rusty-coloured leaves of multiple trees; the scent of bonfire smoke hangs in the air; glimpses of the impressive, imposing Georgian and Victorian mansions that line the route can just about be spotted beyond their grand gates. And, for visitors to The Bath Priory Hotel and Spa, a subtle sign at the gateway of one of those mansions represents the end of one journey and the beginning of a different kind of voyage altogether.
Beyond the immaculately maintained gravel driveway, the ivy-framed windows of this super-pretty former private residence (built in 1835) are brightly lit from within, at once inviting and subtly exciting.
Within moments of arrival for your dinner reservation, you might find yourself enjoying a cocktail and canapés while sitting in the Drawing Room captivated by the fine art that lines the walls, or basking in the glow of an open fire on a plush sofa in The Library, or at a table in the smart but cosy Pantry: the hotel’s ‘casual’ bar/brasserie that, in the summer months, offers beautiful views across the hotel’s 4-acre, award-winning gardens.
You may only be a mile or so away from Bath city centre, but you’re far, far removed from any hint of urban thrum in this characterful, quintessentially British, long-established, world-class escape-from-it-all sanctuary… complete with a very interesting new chef hard at work in the kitchen.
Chris Hopkins donned his whites as Executive Head Chef at The Bath Priory’s three AA Rosette-awarded restaurant in March of this year and brought a stellar line-up of experience with him, including kitchen residencies at renowned establishments such as Dinner by Heston,
Ormer Mayfair and Whatley Manor. Little wonder, then, that Chris’s menus – a captivating, enticing array that pushes seasonal and locally-sourced produce to the fore – are already setting foodie tongues wagging across Bath.
It’s the kind of elegant backdrop that allows the food to speak for itself – and that food sparks up a conversation that immediately enthrals.
Offering aesthetic contrast to the hotel’s reception rooms, the main dining room here is a spacious, genteelly urbane affair decorated in 50 shades of eau de nil enlivened with contemporary art flourishes, lit by ceiling spotlights that give the impression of a starry, starry night and lined on one side by windows that frame yet more sweeping views of that spectacular garden. It’s the kind of elegant backdrop that allows the food to speak for itself – and that food sparks up a conversation that immediately enthrals.
The front-of-house team here – effortlessly amiable, impressively well-informed – make you feel like a combination of old friend and A-list superstar.
To start, a duo of richly buttery, subtly briny Orkney Scallops came complemented by sweet, grassy peas and cool cucumber, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds adding playful texture. The Mushroom Parfait, meanwhile, totally belied its otherwise prosaic description: a deeply earthy, super-umami, velvety-smooth pâté encased in a glossy dome of mushroom gel and accompanied by a dinky bouquet of roast maitake mushrooms, uplifting lime pickle and toasted brioche. Both dishes encapsulated the very definition of beautiful food, setting the standard for main courses that fulfilled our great expectations.
Those main courses? A precise but generous rectangle of Creedy Carver Duck, glazed with Alsace wine and cooked to pink-tinged perfection, the gentle tang of pickled cherries playing tastebud tease with the warm, mellow tones of confit fennel while creamy, nutty broad beans added a flourish of subtle vibrancy to the whole affair. Rich, meltingly tender, super-flavoursome glazed Hardwick Lamb Belly – a criminally overlooked cut rightfully given the spotlight it deserves here – served with fresh ewe’s curd that offered a lively counterpoint to soft, comforting pillows of tomato gnocchi while hithers and thithers of fresh basil added their own, distinctive aromatic reverb to the harmonious chorus of supremely good taste. I was living the foodie dream, and no alarm bell could shatter my reverie, until…
The thrilling klaxon of the freshest of fresh mint in the creamy quenelle that sat on top of my Dark Chocolate Moelleux (a sophisticated, much more complex version of a Chocolate Fondant) was the most delightful wake-up call I’ve ever tasted, the fragrant addition of cardamom easing my passage along the way. The fascinating Lady Grey, meanwhile, served a similar purpose: possibly the most original dessert you’ll ever taste, combining the familiar undertones of a classic, relatively contemporary British tea blend (smoothly fruity, softly citrussy, and tinged with bergamot essence) with a sunshine-infused citrus crème and a sweetly fudgy/caramel beurre noisette.
Throughout it all, a selection of incredible wines flowed (go with the sommelier’s suggestions to discover course-matched highlights from an exhaustive collection spanning literally hundreds of bottles) and to say the service was exemplary would be neither an exaggeration nor a polite cliché: the front-of-house team here – effortlessly amiable, impressively well-informed – make you feel like a combination of old friend and A-list superstar.
The Bath Priory Hotel and Spa brings Bath’s historic, cultural and, with Hopkins at the helm, contemporary culinary reference points together in one serene, super-luxe country house hotel and spa experience nestled in a neighbourhood with a city centre postcode; lock that postcode into your foodie satnav today.
The Bath Priory, Weston Road, Bath BA1 2XT
thebathpriory.co.uk Tel: 01225 331922