Old Downtown Lodge Hotel

Shropshire, England

Uniformity isn’t much rated at the collection of ancient stables and barns that make up Old Downton Lodge near Ludlow in Shropshire. Some of the buildings are medieval, others Georgian; the dining room was once a granary and the sitting room a milking barn; and historic elements are incorporated in imaginative ways. You may find yourself resting your back against timber from the original milk stalls as you sip a digestif beside the log burner, or unearth hidey holes or malt shoots while making your way to your room from the flowerfilled central courtyard. Modern comfort sits squarely alongside the exposed beams and brickwork and antique dressers in the bedrooms (individually styled, of course) and extends to the highceilinged dining room, where you can choose between à la carte or a six-course tasting menu with wellcrafted plates such as roasted leek, truffle, potato and cheese custard; pork fillet and shoulder, butternut squash, sage, cider; and rhubarb parfait, baklava, honey, cardamom. With food hotspot Ludlow just six miles down the road, it’s easy to continue your gastronomic journey beyond the peaceful grounds. After all, this is prime walking country, with the hills and valleys of the Welsh Marches on the doorstep, so you’ll be needing plenty of fuel.

Doubles from £215. 01568 771826, olddowntonlodge.com

Words by Liz Atkins.

This review was taken from the June 2023 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.