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A redbrick Victorian farmhouse overlooking the marshes and the distant sea of the North Norfolk coast sounds like a very attractive destination. And thus it proved to be. For Titchwell Manor offers not only its charming location but also comfortable accommodation, a lovely garden and a restaurant which is highly regarded by both locals and visitors. It also provides that pleasing sense – certainly, to those who motor from London, as I did – that one has finally escaped the rush and tumble of city life and that complete relaxation is now at hand. I think the Royce felt that, too. The photograph indicates that she is smiling, does it not?
She is shown at rest, having settled gently outside room number 19, The Potting Shed. This was my billet, and a satisfactory billet it proved. There are 27 rooms at the Manor, but this, I think, is one of the more expensive – at £175-£195 a night bed and breakfast during the week, according to season, which rises to £195-£250 at weekends. The feeling is rustic, with boarded walls and floors (the former grey and the latter off-white), a sturdy wooden bedstead and a wicker armchair. But there is sophistication, too – not least in the form of a free-standing bath tub which occupies a space behind a low wooden screen in the corner of the bedroom. Spotlights shine from the ceiling, the (gas, coal effect) stove has a remote control, and the television has a flat screen and is linked to a dvd player.
In the room for ablutions (I suppose I should not call it a bathroom, as the eponymous item is without), I found one wash basin, the loo and a long shower compartment. I liked this, as I also liked the verandah overlooking the garden. This was reached through a French window in the bedroom (which I suggest would benefit from a net curtain for privacy). The weather was very warm on my visit, but a large electric fan had been placed in the room, which proved highly effective in keeping me at a comfortable temperature. This was a thoughtful gesture, and entirely typical of the service I experienced at the Manor (overseen by the Manager, Mark Dobby), which has been owned since 1988 by Margaret and Ian Snaith.
I wandered over to the main house and paused for a while in the sitting room, which is decorated in a bright, eclectic manner and has a fireplace. From here the sea can be seen. But I much preferred the delicious little garden – a lawn, surrounded by mature trees and bushes. So thither I ventured for afternoon tea – quite a snip at £15, which included a glass of champagne. In the shade of kindly branches, I tucked into very good ham sandwiches, moist lemon cake, a miniature éclair and a fruit scone with excellent strawberry jam. All this I washed down with iced Earl Grey tea. This was a most pleasant occasion.
And the garden displayed its magic in the morning, too, as the setting for my breakfast. A round table with a white tablecloth was set up in a shaded corner and, as the birds sang their ditties, pots of coffee, bowls of ice cubes, boiled eggs (with buttered ‘soldiers’, of course) and a plate of tip-top smoked haddock were brought to me. From the buffet I secured helpings of Corn Flakes, croissants and fruit salad. There was also more of that superb strawberry jam. This was a very enjoyable way in which to break my fast.
Since 2003 the Head Chef has been Eric Snaith, the son of the owners. His food goes into the Eating Rooms – a less formal restaurant, designed by Shaun Clarkson – and the Conservatory Restaurant. I dined in the latter. As you would expect, the view was into the garden. A vase of yellow carnations stood on my table, the napery was crisp and white, the glassware was by Riedel (the Restaurant range) and the friendly waitresses were in black. Chef Snaith offers an attractive carte of generously-sized dishes, which is available in both dining rooms. His ‘Conversation’ menus – which comprise smaller dishes of a more complicated kind – are available in the Conservatory. The 7 course menu is £60 (or £90, with paired glasses of wine). I had the 4 course ‘Brief Conversation’ menu (£75, with paired wines).
The opening course should have been crab, to which I have an aversion. It was therefore changed to salmon, from the carte – a straightforward and well-executed dish, with cucumber and radish providing contrasts to the fish. The wine – an Italian Fiano from Campania – had an appropriately crisp freshness. Next came turbot and lobster, with pig’s trotter, fennel and buttermilk. The main ingredients were well done and each was full of flavour. This was an unusual combination. The chosen wine was very good indeed – a robust chardonnay, with lots of vanilla. I would certainly have thought it Californian, had I not been told it was from Spain (Moli Deis Capellans, 2011). The main course was Norfolk lamb Provençal, with mugwort and smoked tomato. The shoulder was exceptionally good, oozing with rich tastes, and I would have preferred more of it, for the rack was much less interesting. The Spanish red wine which came with it was quite tannic, but its ripe back fruit was pleasing (Linage Garsea Reserva, Ribera dl Ducro, 2007). The pudding continued the theme of complexity – lemon sorbet and curd, with pistachio cake and olive oil, white chocolate and pea. With it came one of those Californian wines which deserve the appellation ‘sticky’ – Essensia Orange Muscat, 2010.
94 bottles, plus 10 halves and 5 magnums, are on the wine list, which skips around the New and Old Worlds to some effect. It divides wines into categories – “medium-bodied reds” etc. Prices run from £18 for a Chilean sauvignon blanc to £159 for 1999 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill champagne and £165 for Krug Grande Cuvée. Other bottles to catch my eye were: 2007 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron (£135), 1995 Chateau Clinet (£138), 2005 Chateau Musar (from the Lebanon) (£54) and 2007 Luce Brunello di Montalcino (£110).
The hotel and its restaurant are popular, and they deserve to be. If you feel the desire for a few days of comfortable relaxation close to the sea, I can recommend Titchwell Manor. It is a very attractive destination.
Titchwell, Near Brancaster, North Norfolk PE31 8BB, England.
Telephone +44 (0)1485 210221
Email: info@titchwellmanor.com
www.titchwellmanor.com
Double rooms from £95-£115 bed and breakfast mid-week, and from £115-£155 a weekends, according to season.
