Part of the Dorchester Collection, luxury Berkshire hotel Coworth Park is well known for its top-notch food. Overseen by to Exec Chef Adam Smith of Great British Menu fame, the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Woven by Adam Smith, is an extraordinary Michelin-star experience (see Essential Surrey’s recent review here). For those looking for something a little more casual, but still a treat, there is also The Barn.
First impressions
Tucked away just a short stroll from the main hotel building, The Barn sits within the estate’s original barn frame. Following a recent refurb, it’s all glass walls, big fireplaces and horsey paraphernalia.
There’s also new and very smart open kitchen, but the best tables in the warmer months are found ‘outside’ in the restaurant’s covered terrace, which overlooks the hotel’s gorgeous grounds, including a pretty stream complete with a fairytale-esque stone bridge.
With a tented roof and sides, it has a rustic, slightly temporary feel to it, but sumptuous seating, flickering heaters, and cosy blankets add a sense of laid back elegance and plenty of comfort.
The menu
The informal setting is reflected in the brasserie-style menu, which is all about comfort food and hearty dishes, served with Smith’s innate sense of impressive creativity and refinement. Service is friendly and slick – wine and Champagne is poured at the table and the team are extremely knowledgeable about ingredient provenance. Much is sourced as locally as possible, including from the hotel’s own plot - the pillowy soft house sourdough is served with dukkah made from garden herbs and rapeseed oil (as opposed to olive), which are theatrically combined at the table.
Another example of The Barn’s sustainable approach can be found in the sourdough scraps – leftover slithers of dough that instead of being binned are deep fried and served with a pot of delicious cod’s roe. The perfect bar snack with a chilled glass of English sparkling...
To start
Starters were light, fresh and sophisticated. Delightfully buttery slithers of scallop crudo came topped with zesty pickled lemon and estate elderflower, and a lovely English burrata oozed across my plate, slightly overpowered by some unnecessary preserved artichokes.
The main course menu offers a fun, build-your-own system. Divided into three sections – ‘from the land’, ‘the water’ and ‘the field’, choose your main ingredient, how you’d like it cooked and which sauce and sides you’d like with it.
Carnivorous types will be delighted I am sure with the English wagyu skewers (£40) or the 8oz salt-aged Waterford Farm beef fillet (£42) perhaps with some triple cooked chips (£9), 50/50 mash and a good dollop of creamy peppercorn sauce. ‘Smithy’s’ golden chicken pie (£26) also looked fantastic. For veggies, there’s tandoori cauliflower (£20), hand-rolled pasta (£21) and a good-looking veggie burger too (£22), made with a plant-based patty as opposed to a soggy mushroom.
I fancied fish so opted for a beautiful piece of juicy Cornish monkfish (£38), grilled to perfection (you can also have it beer battered…). To go with, I chose the garden herb chimichurri, which was fresh and flavoursome, as were my sides – a great Caesar salad (£8), crisp French fries (£8), and some skinny but nicely charcoaled BBQ tenderstem broccoli (£8), liberally drizzled with a tasty pumpkin seed satay. All with a glass of lovely Chablis (£14). Ideal.
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To finish
Desserts delivered on both flavour and nostalgia. I couldn’t resist the The Barn Trifle (£15), an attractive medley of excellent custard, lots of cream, zingy blood orange segments and sweet soaked sponge. A wonderfully plump round of vanilla-rich baked cheesecake (£14) was another treat, topped with vivid pink slithers of tart Yorkshire rhubarb.
I got serious pudding envy when I saw the children opposite presented with generous swirls of soft serve ice cream and an array of retro toppings to choose from. A reason to go back, I suppose…
Overall, it was an excellent lunch – a well-balanced smart-causal offering of laid-back luxury combined with deeply satisfying comfort food, made with superb ingredients prepared and presented with elegance and skill.
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After coffee, I strolled through Coworth Park’s picturesque gardens – passing lakes and chattering ducks and elegant swans and smart polo ponies out enjoying an afternoon hack in the sunshine. I sat on the smart terrace in front the Colgate-white hotel, overlooking the beautiful sunken garden with its cloud-like blossom trees and swaying tulips providing stylish pops of Coworth Park orange.
The fountains trickled and red kites swooped overhead as a gleaming silver pot of tea arrived. It was positively bucolic, and everything that a leisurely springtime lunch should be.
The Barn is open for lunch and dinner at Coworth Park, Blacknest Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7SE. Book online at dorchestercollection.com/ascot/coworth-park/dining/the-barn
