Rooms with a view

But appearances can be deceptive, because the Hall, now a Relais and Châteaux country hotel, was there long before the man-made reservoir, the largest in western Europe. The Hall was built in 1881 as the hunting lodge of a wealthy brewer, and the reservoir, now a mecca for watersports enthusiasts, arrived in 1976.

It was purely serendipitous that the Hall now has such a spectacular view to add to its charms. Guests can enjoy it to the full from the terrace overlooking the beautifully-kept formal gardens and gently sloping grounds, complete with heated outdoor swimming pool.

Owned and run by former city investment banker Tim Hart and his wife, Stefa, since 1979, Hambleton Hall prides itself on its friendly unobtrusive service under its genial general manager Chris Hurst, and its excellent Michelin-starred restaurant and wine cellar.

There are 15 double bedrooms, nine of which have ‘the view’, which we were lucky enough to sample, staying in the aptly-named Bay room on the first floor with its wide bay window.

Although our room was not quite ready when we arrived, we were shown onto the terrace to while away a few minutes with coffee and home-made biscuits and admire the surroundings in the sunshine.

A young couple were taking a look around, considering the hall as the venue for their wedding. Later, we met another couple who held their wedding reception there 16 years ago, and still return on a regular basis for anniversaries and family events.

All the bedrooms are individually styled with huge comfy beds, antique furniture and luxurious state-of-art bathrooms, and have evocative names including Cedar, Swallow and Noel Coward — he was a frequent visitor to the house in the 1930s. If you have a penchant for the exotic, there is the Qazvin, a room with a Persian flavour and a stunning four-poster bed.

In addition to the overnight guests, people travel from far and wide to sample the sophisticated dining provided by Michelin-starred chef Aaron Patterson and his team. They use only the best local produce and the dishes have a strong seasonal bias. The wonderful wine list is under the auspices of top sommelier Dominique Baduel, who is happy to recommend the perfect wine to complement your meal.

Our dining experience began with a glass of the house Champagne in the delightful drawing room, while we chose from the extensive, mouthwatering menu and enjoyed an amuse bouche of minestrone and chorizo ravioli. The elegant dining room was surprisingly busy for a Sunday evening. I had managed to bag one of the last special starters — scallops with puy lentils, curry sauce and onion bhaji, while my guest chose the crab ravioli with lemongrass and ginger bisque. Both were delightful.

For the main course I had a wonderfully tender assiette of rabbit with pearl barley, mustard sauce and liquorice sauce, with the rack of the rabbit wrapped in Parma ham.My companion enjoyed guinea fowl with crushed minted peas and mushrooms and sherry vinegar sauce. The dishes were faultless, and ably accompanied by a superb bottle of 2004 Shiraz Viognier.

My guest followed with a deliciously light banana souffle with banana and passionfruit sorbet, while I opted for the selection of sorbets, only to be amazed by the spectacle of a huge glass plate with seven different flavours including rhubarb, pear, pineapple and lemon, each with an individual sliver of the relevent freeze-dried fruit.

We finished this splendid feast with coffee, Cognac and petit fours in the drawing room, heading off for a tranquil night’s sleep in the Bay room.

Breakfast was a choice of cooked or contintental, with a selection of rolls, bread and muffins from the hall’s own Hambleton Bakery, based just a couple of miles away. As we made our farewells, we decided to stop off at the bakery while en route to nearby Burghley House, and could not resist coming away with their sourdough and ‘the local’ loaves, so we could enjoy a little taste of Hambleton back home.