Ox Pasture Hall Hotel: A Mid-Week Recharge

A few weeks ago, I received an email that made my heart flutter with joy; an invitation to visit the Ox Pasture Hall Hotel, which is a Luxury Hotel in Yorkshire (not too far from Scarborough). This blog has come so far over the years, but something I've never been able to do is visit a hotel and I wasn't sure what to expect.

But the stay was unbelievable.

The hotel was about two and a half hours drive from Manchester and despite being barely ten minutes drive from Scarborough, there was nothing for the eye to see but stunning countryside. The hotel itself was beautiful, made up of sandstone and played to traditional Yorkshire architecture. We were put up in one of their Luxury Suites and if the view wasn't more than enough, the actual room was wonderful and was made up of a stunning marble bathroom, a living room with the softest buttery leather sofa and the bedroom which the softest bed I've ever slept in. Hopefully the pictures manage to give the slightest bit of insight into what we were greeted with! The staff were more than welcoming and made my friend and I feel so at home!

Because we had lectures till two, we arrived just in time for dinner and were both able to enjoy their tasting menu. I'm going to be completely honest and say that I really didn't know what to expect and was over the moon to find out that they had even gone to the effort of creating a dedicated Vegan menu for Elle! The food was simply divine and I honestly think it's the best food I've ever eaten - it took everything to a new level. The tasting menu consisted of five courses (but thankfully they weren't tiny - ya girl likes food too much for that). It started with an onion granola with a panacotta, then a mackerel dish (which I'm going to be dreaming about for days to come...), then onto braised beef in treacle with Pommes Anna potato. For desert was a lemon and olive oil cake with the most unbelievable lemon sorbet and of course, the evening ended with a selection of cheeses. The friend that joined me is vegan and she had her own vegan menu which she was incredibly exuberant about and was over the moon with how well looked after she felt! I truly think it's wonderful how seriously her dietary requirement was taken as I was slightly nervous that dinner would be simply a salad.... But again, I would highly recommend the tasting menu.

Breakfast was also wonderful, I went for a classic Yorkshire Breakfast but again, the hotel provided Elle, my friend, with a substantial vegan breakfast (sausages included!). Please excuse the lack of breakfast pictures as we inhaled it before I remembered to take pictures! There were numerous breakfast options available from porridge to salmon and eggs to a lighter cereal and fruit option. 

Exploring Scarborough

On our first day, because we had limited daylight, we used the rest of the day to explore the hotel grounds and nearby area. The hotel has a small lake which houses some geese and ducks and the surrounding views were gorgeous. Not too far from the hotel is a river which also has a boardwalk that runs alongside which is ideal for folk who aren't keen on the idea of delving too deeply into the forest. But it was perfect considering we didn't have much daylight left! For two girls from Manchester, it was simply a novelty being so deep in the countryside so anything that wasn't a city was exciting to us! The hotel is dog friendly (you just need to provide advance notice) so if you do have a dog, I'd totally recommend bringing him/her as they're sure to love the walking as much as you!

The hotel is about a fifteen minute drive from Scarborough so the next day, Elle and I drove into town to have an explore. We parked near the castle near St Mary's Church and hit up the castle first. It was £5.00 entry and it honestly had the best views of Scarborough which meant we could see all the way down the coast. It was honestly gorgeous and I'd totally recommend heading there first to check out the view. We then wandered about the town on a quest for fish and chips (because it's basically illegal to not buy chips by the seaside). I'd definitely recommend allowing a good few hours for an explore as it's really pretty by the sea! It was surprisingly busy considering we were there midweek so it was great to people watch - and we were all about the dog watching!

I honestly had such a wonderful time - especially as I've never been to East Yorkshire and would highly, highly recommend a visit! Have you been to East Yorkshire? Where are your favourite places for a mini break?

Please note that whilst I was offered this stay for the purpose of a review, all my opinions are completely honest and without bias.