My Aunt Karen and I enjoyed a two-night stay at this lovely hotel, just a 25/30 minute walk from Wellington, Shropshire, just off the M54. We had a garden room with a balcony that has views of the hotel pond, the Wrekin which is just down the road, and the Welsh hills in the distance. Next door is a sheep pasture which adds to the feeling of being in the country, yet near towns and villages waiting to be explored. The photos on the hotel website are accurate – an old black and white structure which has been added to over the years. Watch your step while walking to your room as there are many one- and two-step stairs as you go from one part of the building to another. A closer mirror would be nice in the bathroom and perhaps a bottle of water to go with the tea and coffee, but our room was clean and comfortable with a deep tub, albeit an overly friendly shower curtain, and big fluffy towels.
Upon check-in we were asked to book a time for dinner and we chose 6:30. The restaurant overlooks the patio and was quiet being a Sunday night. A few other diners did start to arrive around 7:30. The service was prompt and friendly and the food was delicious and plentiful. Karen had the ruby grapefruit and orange salad with grilled goats cheese, walnut crumb and a honey and green peppercorn dressing for a starter and I had the sweetcorn and crab cake with green tomato and coriander salsa which was sweet and sour and went perfectly with the crab cake. For our mains, Karen had the corn-fed chicken fillet, pak choi, with a flavourful ratatouille of vegetables and herb oil and I chose the braised shank of lamb which was very tender, with honey roasted root vegetables and a Madeira and Rosemary sauce. The mains were served with new potatoes, broccoli, pea pods cauliflower, and carrots that were all nicely al dente. We wanted to sample dessert, for the sake of the blog, so were only able to eat half of the main course. We both chose the light as a feather stem ginger pudding with whisky creme Anglaise which was well worth the money We chose a Chilean Merlot for the wine which we finished the following night in the bar.
If we were having evening meals for a longer stay we would need to vary eating in the bar and the restaurant as the menu in the latter is small with some items that we did not fancy. However, the chef is very good and the bar menu has different options for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. You can also order off the bar menu in your room at any time.
Breakfast is served buffet style in the restaurant; give your coffee/tea and toast order as you enter and then you have your choice of fruit juice, cold cereals, fruit, yogurt, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, back bacon, and scrambled or fried eggs. The coffee could be hotter and stronger. We made up a muesli mix with oats, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts, and banana chips with some plain yogurt.
Our second evening we returned to the hotel around 6:30 and were not able to book a table in the restaurant until 8:00 or later due to two coaches which had arrived so we ate in the bar. We did not want another big meal and would likely have had a starter and sweet in the restaurant. As it was, we both had the leek and potato soup and roll and then tried a couple of the delicious desserts: chocolate fudge cake and cream; and chocolate tart with raspberries and whipped cream. The coffee machine was not working so we could not have lattes, and they were out of Baileys (my first choice for a boozy coffee), so we ended up with Italian coffees after we had finished our wine; a nice and relaxing end to the day.
All in all, a charming hotel and area to which we would return.
Buckatree Hall Hotel
The Wrekin
Telford
Shropshire TF6 5AL
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