Amazingly I won a competition recently that enabled my hubby and I to stay a night at Winteringham Fields ("a restaurant with rooms") . One thing's for sure, not only would I never even have known about it - but we couldn't have justified the extravagance of this Michelin-starred venue ordinarily (except maybe a corporate hospitality visit of course) ! We were very lucky to have had this opportunity. It's a really special place.

The first thing that strikes you about Winteringham Fields is its unpretentiousness. It's on a completely different level to places like Mallory Court, near Stratford-upon-Avon - but with similar levels of food and service. Although, I guess you could say that about all of Lincolnshire (I'd not visited the county much before this) and the village of Winteringham itself is rather, well, ordinary! There's a quaint side, a picturesque village centre with a post office and a general store, two pubs (both a bit "spit and sawdust" - but very friendly), and round the corner the ubiquitous small council estate. In fact, you can't help thinking that this is one of those areas on the brink of an upturn in fortune. A rare undiscovered unsploilt seaside resort (a bit like Brixham in Devon). (It's also one of the few places left in Britain where you can buy a decent-sized detached house for less than £150k). Only a mile away is the glorious landscape of the Humber estuary - an area of "special scientific interest" which is home to many nature reserves and is dominated by the Humber bridge, which apparently held its own in the history books when it was built in 1981. The setting sun over the flat, rural countryside is quite something. The industrial areas seem invisible somehow from here. If you have time and energy there are plenty of walks including the famous 140 mile Viking Way which ends in Oakham, Rutland.

The hotel itself is a hidden-away, low 16th century building, made up of lots of different ancient and modern buildings that have made the current restaurant and lounge areas into a maze of low-ceilinged, different levelled, cosy rooms. Outside is a gravelled courtyard area where there are some extra bedrooms.
We stayed in a room that was not actually IN the hotel. It was just up the street (100 yards) in a very tastefully converted house. Luckily it wasn't raining - although apparently they send a car to pick you up if it does rain. The bathroom was huge and the bed large and comfortable. There were a few things missing from a room in this price-bracket though - for instance, in the separate kitchen area - why weren't there different sorts of teas to choose from? Where was the radio/CD and why did we have to ask for a second set of bath towels? However, overall the room was lovely and full of stylish "antiques" and personal touches (including the most amazing needlework box I have ever seen)! And of course they came to turn down our bed during the evening and left a helpful reminder about the clocks going forward an hour that night.

We were a bit surprised not to be offered Or'deurves when we sat in the dark-red, incense-smelling, velvety lounge area for pre-dinner drinks. They were at extra cost (but fortunately not for us)! which wasn't very welcoming. But they were very nice and included caviar. For dinner, we were on a table close to an old range which doubled-up as a place for the waiters to keep things warm on. It was very ambient. Simple. No music. This is where you appreciate the quiet, subtle unpretentious service that only a quality place like this can produce. The tables are not too close and the marble floor adds to a sense of style.

Dinner was to be the "surprise" menu - which was a total of about 6 very relaxed courses (I lost count) (over 4 hours) including roast Gressingham duck and a risotto and veal creation that was very nice. The salmon dish was a bit bland though. There were 2 desserts - both a flavour sensation! One served on dry ice! The service throughout was very friendly - not really what you normally get with a Michelin-starred restaurant. Each smiling staff member made an effort to ask what we thought of each dish etc. the 'cheese man' in particular was an experience - he knew literally everything about the cheese and how it was produced and where it came from etc. The sommelier was English (!!!) yes the first one I have met. He, too, was very very knowledgeable and very friendly. We met the chef - Robert Thompson. Amazing that he's only 24. He was the student of the previous chef who was here (who had 2 stars) who retired. I'm sure he will have a fantastic future ahead of him. What amazed me was we spoke to him (after a tour of the kitchen) at about midnight after he'd finished service - and he looked as fresh-faced and bushy-tailed as he could have done at 7pm! Not a single sign of a stressful evening's work at all! And after about 50 covers of 6 courses each.

As you can imagine, we didn't have anything much for breakfast (although the selection was very good). But the pastries and fruit were all fresh and a good selection of teas were on offer! The cheese man was there to wave us off - they are closed on Sundays and Mondays so I expect the staff were eager to get their weekend. Overall, highly recommended. We could have easily spent over £500 for one night’s DBB - e.g. £25 for a single glass of champers is a bit steep. Bring the credit card - but enjoy the experience! There's not many places in the UK where you can get this level of service with such excellent food, in such humble, idyllic surroundings.