I’ve been a member of Hestercombe Gardens on and off ever since Belle was born. When she was little, it was our go to place for meet ups; many an hour have been whiled away on weekday afternoons looking at the ducks, hiding in the orangery or paddling in wellies in the streams.
I walk around the formal gardens now and I can still picture Belle and her friend Ella as toddlers, propped up against the side of the fountain, chubby hands in the water. I can’t quite get my head around how tiny they must have been.
As Belle has grown up, so has Hestercombe. The restaurant has grown, new features and areas have been developed the gardens, and just recently Hestercombe House has opened up to the public. When Belle was a baby it was the offices for the local fire service, but now it houses exhibitions, a second hand bookshop and an elegant tea rooms with beautiful views over the formal gardens.
Dabek Photography
In the middle of May we met some friends at Hestercombe for Sunday lunch and a walk around the gardens. They had never been before and were suitably impressed. The gardens were looking beautiful, especially the wisteria in the formal gardens, and talk soon turned to Hestercombe as a potential wedding venue. I could definitely picture myself in a wedding dress, posed under a pergola.
(I’m going to do a whole post soon about weddings at Hestercombe – watch this space…)
Morgan & Ellis Photography
On this particular Sunday though we were there primarily to put the Sunday lunch to the test, as I’d never been for Sunday dinner at Hestercombe before. I’ve had plenty of cups of tea and bits of cake in the cafe, but never the full roast. The restaurant at Hestercombe is in the old stables, so it has a lovely design and atmosphere. It does get busy at peak times, and you have to go up to the counter to order, but don’t be put off if the queue seems long as is does move relatively quickly.
Between us we had two roast beefs and two lasagnes. I’m not a huge meat eater but went for the beef as I do love a Yorkshire pudding. I was not disappointed – it was possibly one of the largest Yorkshire puddings I have ever seen. The roast potatoes were amazing, even by my high roast potato standards, and all in all it was a very pleasant lunch.
Have you been anywhere lovely for lunch lately?
Disclosure – we were guests of Hestercombe for lunch for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.