We have just got back from a fantastic weekend away in Shrewsbury of all places! To cut a long story short we have a group of family and friends who go skiing every year under the name the ‘Three legs ski team’. Two of our team, brother and sister, were celebrating their 50th and 60th birthdays, so we decided to hire a big party house for the weekend and have a summer get together away from the slopes!

The Grange, as pictured above, is a stunning Georgian farmhouse located on the Hencote Estate, boasting views over the Hencote vineyard and Shropshire countryside.

The main house sleeps up to twelve guests with lavish en-suite bedrooms, a hot tub and the most perfect party kitchen. No expense has been spared from the high tech Bang & Olufsen Smart TV, the integrated sound system and my personal favourite, the KitchenAid Toaster and Kettle which are now on my ‘must have’ list!

• 

• 

• 

• 

As we had more than 12 people in the group, we also hired out two glamping lodges, which are part of the same estate. The canvas lodges are about 5-minutes walk from the main house and have a double bedroom and double bunk room. The lodges were comfy and had a lovely wood burner but were let down a bit by the lack of self catering equipment.

There was no toaster or camping hob, just a microwave, which meant those staying there had to walk to the main house for breakfast. Also their lodges were tucked around a corner so they didn’t benefit from the wonderful views. Overall they are nice, they just need some of the catering extras you get in the main house.

First night out!

On the first night we headed into town for dinner at Bistro Jacques, which as you probably guessed from the name is a French restaurant! Due to the size of the group we pre-ordered our food. The table was booked for 7.15pm, but they were a little delayed so we sat down just after 7.30pm. The waiting staff were lovely and welcoming and served the drinks very quickly.

I had the Bleu D’Auvergne rarebit on toasted brioche with mixed leaves i.e. posh cheese on toast, which was delicious! My main was ‘Filet de Boeuf’; Pan roasted fillet of beef served on horseradish mash with a roasted vine tomatoes and a blue cheese sauce, cooked medium. The fillet was cooked perfectly and the blue cheese sauce was full of flavour but not overpowering. For dessert I went for a classic Creme Brûlée, it was a little bit split and very shallow, but it had a nice creamy vanilla taste with a crunchy caramelised top. Overall it was very nice.

• 

• 

• 

A few of the group didn’t have such a great meal and complained about stale croutes with the pate and the fish being quite bland. They were immediately removed from the bill and everyone offered a complimentary dessert so you can’t say fairer than that.

Then it was back to the party kitchen for a night cap or three!!

Day 2

After a leisurely start to the day, some of the group went for a walk into town and some stayed back at the homestead relaxing on the comfy giant sofa!

We then met up again at The View, which is the estate restaurant for a wine tasting tour! Wine Maker Gavin, told us the history of the estate, gave us a tour of the vineyard and winery and then we got to sample the produce for ourselves.

There were four wines to sample, a Rose, White, Red and my personal favourite the sparkling wine. Gavin is very engaging and knowledgable and clearly passionate about his craft. The tour and tasting cost £20.00 ahead and was good value for money. Most of the group left with a few bottles to take home!

The only thing that could be improved is the set up of the actual wine tasting. There is no where to sit down and relax, so you end up standing around in a huddle whilst Gavin tries to tell you about the wines. After the tour it’s quite a long time to be on your feet and would benefit from maybe a horseshoe set up with Gavin in in the middle. That said we all had a great time learning about and trying the wines.

We didn’t eat in the restaurant but we did have a drink at the bar to enjoy the breathtaking views.

Second night out!

After enjoying the wine tasting we headed a little further a field to the SmokeStop restaurant which is about a 20-minute drive away in a town called Ford. Again we had pre-ordered our meals and our table was booked for 8.15pm. We were a little late sitting down as the tables were still in use and then we waited over 40-minutes to be served our pre ordered starters. It was a little bit slow and some of the group were getting a bit ‘hangry’ at this stage!

When the starters arrived there were lots of approving noises and compliments about the food. I shared some Nachos with one of the group which were nice and cheesy! For main I had the Deep South Pit Burger which was Southern Fried Chicken Breast, Dirty Cheese,
Streaky Bacon, Cajun Mayo, & Onion Rings with sweet potato fries. It was delicious, crispy chicken with loads of cheese and mayo (are you getting the feeling I enjoy cheese!!).

For dessert I had a Smoke Stop Sundae -which was meant to be a White Vanilla Ice Cream, topped with Strawberry, Chocolate, & Salted Caramel Sauces, topped with Squirty Cream, Candy Sprinkles, & Chocolate Flakes. I have to admit the ice cream was yellow and tasted a bit like soft scoop and I could only see and taste chocolate sauce. However it was sweet and covered in cream, so hey not all bad right?!

• 

• 

We did have a few issues with the meals, the first being that despite pre-ordering all the food, three of the group were told they didn’t have enough Chicken Combos left so had to choose something else which didn’t go down well!

Two of the people who did have the Chicken Combo, were then completely put off by the fact it was pink inside. The waiter did explain that this was due to the way they slow cook the chicken and was adamant it was cooked, but most of us weren’t convinced so they didn’t eat it. The waiter was a little confrontational at first, but seemed to sense we were getting a tad grumpy with the response. From that point on he was nothing but nice and polite.

The food was very reasonably priced with two courses for £16.95 or three courses for £19.95. Most of the food was good, the initial service was slow and the waiting staff were a bit hit and miss, but overall most of the group enjoyed the food.

After dinner we headed back to The Grange to make use of the party kitchen and sound system once again!

Shrewsbury wasn’t a place I’d ever thought about going for a weekend away, but the area where we stayed was absolutely stunning. If you are looking for a big house for a group get together then Hencote is well worth a visit. It really has to be seen to be believed. Luxury accommodation with no expense spared on a sprawling countryside estate. Perfect!

I should also mention the fantastic Go Carz taxi company who got us cabs at short notice on Friday night and then ferried our big group around all weekend at unbelievably cheap prices! Great taxi firm.