Things that spring to mind with Woburn in Bedfordshire are the safari park and its impressive abbey, winding all the way back to 1145; although the village, brimming with quintessentially English charm, is something I knew little of. Perched just off the village centre, The Woburn Hotel and its restaurant, Olivier’s, cater to both locals and visitors to Woburn. Located just an hour from London it is a brilliant and convenient option for an effortless mini break, as we found out.
Striving to give its guests an honest and quintessential English experience and offering the best of British hospitality, The Woburn Hotel endeavour to offer a combination of contemporary and traditional. On our visit we were very pleased with the adorable Bloomsbury Cottage that we had been assigned. Away from the atmosphere of any other hotel room, where you could be anywhere, our delightful cottage encompassed all of the charm of the Woburn estate and our rural surroundings with its luxe countryside ambience; accommodating features such as exposed beams, a wooden staircase and a generous bathtub at the foot of our bed. The Woburn Hotel tucks away a total of 48 rooms including Abbey rooms, Executive suites and Classic bedrooms. They then offer seven individually designed cottages; one of them being ours, the Bloomsbury Cottage.
The main building of the hotel and within the elegant Georgian building, which faces onto the centre of the village, is their restaurant Olivier’s. This restaurant’s intention is to offer its diners a little bit of Woburn in every dish, utilising some of the UK’s best food producers which can be found on their doorstep. Ensuring a more than comfortable start to our weekend we enjoyed a three course meal (with the addition of some dessert wine).
Lovingly created by the whole team in the kitchen, Olivier’s a la carte menu is available from Monday to Saturday from 6.30pm – 9.30pm. Familiar choices graced the menu such as a soup of the day, we selected the Smoked Halibut and Prawn Terrine and the Pan Fried Scallop with Salmon Gravlax and Crab Californian Roll – something slightly more exotic compared with our surroundings of tradition. Undecided what to choose from the main courses, and with admittedly a similar taste in food, we in fact both chose their Beef Fillet with Caramelised Shallots and Port Sauce alongside fondant potato, feeling smug with our choices; regardless of any lack of adventure. This was served alongside a smooth Malbec from Chile, so favourable we retreated back to our cottage with a second bottle. To finish, a quaint selection of cheeses with our dessert wine before heading back to our room, or I should say cottage, sinking into the sofa.
Encompassing the highlights of Woburn, The Woburn Hotel offers its guests a select number of packages from The Classic, consisting of art, antiques and history with a tour of the Abbey and its gardens to The Romantic which holds, they say, surprises; The Safari (no explanation needed) and The Gourmet, sharing with guests their passion for food. Easy to get to, this gorgeous village is sat beside an extensive estate you would expect to find on the set of Pride and Prejudice making it an obvious spot, just a few miles out of Milton Keynes. The Woburn Hotel exudes the charm of the village and leaves me reading the pamphlets, (something I rarely do) back home, intrigued and privileged to have experienced more than the main attractions Woburn is widely known for.
Address: : 1 George St, Woburn, Milton Keynes MK17 9PX / 01525 290441
